Sacred Origins of Profound Things: The Stories Behind the Rites and Rituals of the World's Religions

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 608 pages
• Published by: Penguin Non-Classics December 1, 1996
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0140195335
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0140195330
• Book Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Weighs: 1.3 pounds

From Publishers Weekly
Sprightly, wry and irreverent, Sacred Origins of Profound Things attempts to explain the arcana of religious practice and dogma like prayer, celestial personae, moral codes, festivals, saints, evil, heaven, hell and miracles. Panati digs up fascinating curios while clearly explaining fundamental tenets of the world's religions. But his Religion 101 remains an awkward hybrid of brief journalistic entries (Panati is a former science writer at Newsweek) and short essays. Furthermore, not all "profound things" are covered equally or thoroughly. The religions of Asia are barely touched on, and aboriginal religions not at all. Of Judaism, Islam and Christianity, it is the last, and Catholicism in particular, that forms by far the largest part of the book. While readers looking for a quick answer will find useful the explanations of why religions affirm this or that belief, they will be frustrated by the lack of an index and the book's narrative rather than encyclopedic structure. Illustrations not seen by PW.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Few books in the theological literature are simply fun to read and this is one of them. Panati (Panati's Parade of Fads, Follies, and Manias, HarperCollins, 1991) has written an informative and entertaining book on the origins of religious ideas, sacred items, worship practices, holy symbols, and holidays. Although he discusses wonderful puzzlements such as why Jews don't eat pork, he also explores the origins and history of more pressing, controversial, present-day concerns such as the bans on homosexuality, married priests, and birth control. His book has a few shortcomings. Although it advertises itself as a book on world religions, the emphasis is mainly on Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, with only a smattering of other faiths. Also, there is a lack of footnoting, making the work unhelpful to serious scholars. But these minor complaints pale next to the wealth of information provided here. (Index not seen.) Recommended for public libraries.?Glenn Masuchika, Chaminade Univ. Lib., Honolulu
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Reader Reviews
I was thoroughly engrossed in with the information in this book. But I think the title is too broad because the topics were mostly on Christianity, Judaism and Islam and the other world religions were barely touched. Mr. Panati did warn that he is Catholic and is coming from that perspective. Being a Catholic myself, I think this is an excellent sourcebook for Catholics but be warned that some of Mr. Panati's explanations may make you doubt what you learned in catechism. What I did come away with is a better understanding of the connections between the three major world religions and how they are related to one another.