Surveys the treatment of gods, goddesses, the heavens, creation, death, and evil as expressed in various mythologies around the world. Here is an intriguing and captivating introduction to the culturally diverse world of mythology. Photographs of masks, jewelry, and sculptures offer a unique view of mythology and its gods, heroes, and monsters.

At the dawn of the twenty-first century, scientific and technological advancements, interconnected globalized economies, and even the so-called New Atheists have done nothing to change one thing: our world remains furiously religious. For good and for evil, religion is the single greatest influence in the world. We accept as self-evident that competing economic systems (capitalist or communist) or clashing political parties (Republican or Democratic)...

Presents an overview of the world's major religions, and answers questions about the history, rituals, celebrations, structure, holy documents, and deities of major and lesser-known religions.