There was a bit of dumbing down of the arguments, plus there was a heavy north-american slant to it all. But basically, it doesn't really tell you much that you don't already know
One of the best explorations of the deep-seated beliefs we all have about other faiths. I was most astounded by the myths about Islam the book discussed. I never knew that people believed such myths about my religion. At any rate, the book was illuminating and enjoyable. Reading this book, you are sure to find yourself laughing at yourself for believing any number of the myths written here about other religions! However, it is also an opportunity to foster a better coexistence with others through getting to know their beliefs better. It's a really useful read.
Morreall and Sonn鈥檚 50 Great Myths About Religions (Wiley Blackwell 2014) should sit alongside Stephen Prothero鈥檚 Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know - and Doesn't on the shelf of essential religious studies primers. It should probably be read first, as any attempt to improve one鈥檚 religious literacy should begin by unlearning some of the myths about religion one may have already have learned.
50 Great Myths is organised into nine sections. The first is an introduction to myth in this context as a 鈥渇alse belief,鈥� some of them innocuous (e.g. St. Patrick and the snakes), some dangerous (the ideas held as true that have fostered anti-Semitism). The following sections catalogue the fifty myths by subject: religion in general, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, other western traditions (e.g. Zoroastrianism), eastern traditions, myths about nonbelievers, and 鈥渂onus myths.鈥� There is also a helpful accompanying website which adds to the list of myths and offers teaching resources ().
As a teacher, I have found the book immediately useful in class. The fifth eastern myth is 鈥淭he Laughing Buddha (Budai, Ho Ti) Is Buddha鈥� (p.193). Not only is the argument concise and perfect for students, it also lends itself to provoking a discussion on various related issues, such as the general ignorance of the east in the west and the image of the Buddha in Buddhism. 50 Great Myths could be used as a textbook for an entire course on religious illiteracy or to supplement the study of particular religions. It is an excellent work and fills an important niche.
Bardzo dobrze opisane mity religijne. A jakie to mity, to nie b臋d臋 pisa膰, 偶eby si臋 nie narazi膰 ekstremalnym chrze艣cijanom. Powiem tylko, 偶e ciekawe i warto przeczyta膰. Opr贸cz mit贸w dowiemy si臋 du偶o ciekawych fakt贸w praktycznie o wi臋kszo艣ci znanych religiach. W ksi膮偶ce szacowali ile ich jest, i to jest liczba podana w tysi膮cach. Koniec ksi膮偶ki zamykaj膮 mity ateistyczne. Wg mnie na si艂臋 wsadzone, ni to ciekawe, ma艂o ich, ale powinny by膰 wi臋c s膮. Ksi膮偶k臋 polecam osobom, kt贸rych interesuj膮 zagadnienia religijne.