Religion in a Nutshell

It is not really possible to have a grasp of world events, politics, or history without at least some understanding of religion. Garrison Keillor once said "Anyone who thinks sitting in church can make you a Christian must also think that sitting in a garage can make you a car." Albert Einstein remarked, "Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous." Abraham Lincoln addressed religion in the following manner "My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right." Finally George Carlin said "Religion has convinced people that there's an invisible man ... living in the sky. Who watches everything you do every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a list of ten specific things he doesn't want you to do. And if you do any of these things, he will send you to a special place, of burning and fire and smoke and torture and anguish for you to live forever, and suffer, and suffer, and burn, and scream, until the end of time. But he loves you. He loves you. He loves you and he needs money." Understanding religion is a prerequisite for the understanding of political conflicts, and much of human behavior. Religion is a force for good, and history will tell us that sometimes the opposite is true. This book will provide the reader with an explanation of the thirty most important concepts in religion today. It should be pointed out that religion and beliefs change over time.