Scope

This Research Guide provides information on the culture and traditions of religions around the world as well as statistical representation of different religions in the United States.

Overview

| General | Buddhism | Christianity | Hinduism | Islam | Judaism | Native American Religions | Religion in American Society |

General

Encyclopedia of Women and World Religion
College Library Reference Collection: BL 458 E53 1999

Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center 1990 - to date (updated daily)
Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center (OVRC) includes the acclaimed social issues series published by Greenhaven Press, as well as core reference content from other Gale and Macmillan Reference USA sources and provides viewpoint articles, topic overviews, statistics, primary documents, links to websites, and full-text magazine and newspaper articles.

Religions of the World: a Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices
College Library Reference Collection: BL 80.3 R45 2002

Buddhism

Encyclopedia of Buddhism
College Library Reference Collection: BQ 128 E62 2004

Christianity

The Anchor Bible Dictionary
College Library Reference Collection: BS 440 A54 1992

Hinduism

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism
College Library Reference Collection: BL 1105 L63 2002

Islam

Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World
College Library Reference Collection: BP40 E525 2004

The Muslim Almanac: a Reference Work on the History, Faith, Cultures and Peoples of Islam
College Library Reference Collection: BP 40 M83 1996

The Concise Encyclopedia of Islam
College Library Reference Collection: BP 40 N48 2002

The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World
College Library Reference Collection: DS 35.53 O95 1995

Judaism

The New Encyclopedia of Judaism
College Library Reference Collection: BM 50 E63 2002

Native American Religions

Encyclopedia of Native American Religions : an Introduction
College Library Reference Collection: E98 R3 H73 2000

Religion in American Society

Religion in Politics and Society
College Library Reference Collection: AC1 R4 volume 74, number 3

Religion in the Schools: a Reference Handbook
College Library Reference Collection: LC 111 J87 1998

The Religious Right: a Reference Handbook
College Library Reference Collection : BR 526 U88 2001

Finding Journal and News Articles

Below are links to databases that cover this subject area. The truncation symbol for all of them is an asterisk (*) unless otherwise noted.

Sample searches for databases:

freedom and religi*
comparative and religion
church
religion and psychology
religion and literature
religion and experience
religi* and philosoph*
culture and religion
religion and law

Recommended Databases:

Academic Search 1984 - to date (updated daily)
This library database indexes approximately 3,100 popular magazines and academic journals and provides the full-text articles from approximately 1,000 journals. Basic instructions for Academic Search

CQ Researcher November 1991 - to date (updated weekly)
Contains weekly reports from Congressional Quarterly that cover the most current and controversial issues. Basic instructions for CQ Researcher

Humanities Full Text 1984 - to date (updated monthly)
Indexes 400 scholarly journals on archaeology, classical studies, art, film, folklore, history, journalism, linguistics, literature, music, performing arts, philosophy and religion. Basic instructions for Humanities Full Text

ProQuest Research Library 1988 - to date (updated daily)
Indexes over 2,000 general-interest and academic journals. Nearly 1,000 periodicals are full-text. Dates vary, but many full-text journals go back to 1988. Basic instructions for ProQuest Research Library

More Databases:

Ethnic NewsWatch 1960 - to date (updated monthly)
A full-text collection of more than 200 newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press. Basic instructions for Ethnic Newswatch

Social Sciences Full Text 1983 - to date (updated monthly)
Indexes more than 415 scholarly journals in economics, politics, public administration, public health, sociology, criminology, environmental and urban studies, psychology and anthropology. Basic instructions for Social Sciences Full Text

Finding Books

MadCat
Books on religions of the world can be found in MadCat, the UW-Madison library catalog.

Sample keyword searches:

freedom and religion
compar? and religion
religion and statistics
buddhism and united states
religion and justice
religion and medicine
religion and history and "united states"
interfaith and violence
religion and myth?
religion and politics and "country name"

Internet Sites

Facets of Religion
http://www.facetsofreligion.com/
Searchable meta-index to the WWW Virtual Library's resources in twelve major religious traditions as well as pagan cults, ancient and modern.

Guide to Religions of the World
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/people/features/world_religions/index.shtml
BBC World Service guide to religions, including Hinduism, Islam. Sikhism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Christianity.

The Jewish Virtual Library
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/index.html
The Jewish Virtual Library website is a project designed and maintained by the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise (AICE), which was established as a nonprofit organization in 1993. It contains detailed information about the nature of the relationship between each US state and the nation of Israel, as well as individual sections devoted to History, The Holocaust, Politics and Travel.

Overview of World Religions
http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/
Site from the Division of Religion and Philosophy St Martin's College, UK. Topics by religion : Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Shinto,Sikhism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism or Region: China, East Asia, Europe, India, Indonesia, Latin America, North America, Polynesia, South East Asia Sub-Sahara Africa, or Western Oceania.

Religious Worlds
www.religiousworlds.com
A website containing information about religion and religious studies.  Contains links to webpages about many religions, as well as religious studies programs around the world.

Virtual Religion Index
http://virtualreligion.net/vri/
An annotated gateway site to locate Internet sources on religion from the Religion Department at Rutgers University.

Wabash Center Guide to Internet Resources
http://www.wabashcenter.wabash.edu/home/default.aspx 
The creator of this guide is Charles K. Bellinger, Theological Librarian and Assistant Professor of Theology and Ethics at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas.

Sacred Destinations Travel Guide
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/
This site presents an international guide to sacred religious sites, organized by country and by religion. The Sacred Destinations Travel Guide has over 1500 religious sites listed with photos and maps.

Statistics

World Almanac and Book of Facts
College Library Reference Collection : AY 67 N5
Refer to chapter on “Religions"

Time Almanac
College Library Reference : AY 64 I553
Refer to chapter on “Religion”

Statistical Abstract of the United States
College Library Reference Collection : HA 202 U5
Refer to Table numbers: 63 “Religious Bodies” and 64 “Religious Preference"

Videos

Islam, Empire of Faith [videorecording] / a Gardner Films Production in association with PBS
College Library Main Collection Room 3191: BP 50 I74 2001

Karen Armstrong [videorecording] (From the Distinguished Lecture Series)
College Library Main Book Collection, 3rd Floor, Room 3191: BL238 A763 2004

Lama Ole Nydahl [videorecording]
College Library Main Book Collection, 3rd Floor, Room 3191: BQ4012 N92 2004

Prayer in the Public Schools
College Library Main Book Collection, 3rd Floor, Room 3191: LC111 P55 2005

Muslims [videorecording] / an Independent Production Fund film for Frontline
College Library Main Collection Room 3191: DS 35.62 M87 2003

Organizations

The Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions
http://www.cpwr.org/
“The mission of the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions is to cultivate harmony among the world's religious and spiritual communities and foster their engagement with the world and its other guiding institutions in order to achieve a peaceful, just, and sustainable world."

International Association for Religious Freedom
http://www.iarf.net/index.html
“The International Association for Religious Freedom is a registered charity based in the United Kingdom which has the aim of working for freedom of religion and belief at a global level. Encouraging interfaith dialogue and tolerance is part of this agenda and we are proud of an over 100-year history in this work. We have over 90 affiliated member groups in approximately 25 countries from a wide range of faith traditions, including Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Shintoism, Hinduism, and Sikhism, among others."

Center for the Study of World Religions
http://www.hds.harvard.edu/cswr
“A (Harvard University) research institute with the goal to understand the meaning of religion, with sympathetic insight into religious communities, and to analyze with scholarly integrity the role of religion in global perspective.”

Madison-area Urban Ministry
http://www.madison.com/communities/mum/
“Helping frame issues for the greater Madison community with attention to compassion, mercy, and justice. Promoting interfaith cooperation and collaboration. Convening and linking people of faith communities to engage in social action.”