Description

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An inspiring and fascinating look at people's religious experiences and beliefs.

Visions of Mary and glimpses of God. Miraculous apparitions witnessed by hundreds in parking lots, along freeways, and at the world's holiest sites. Weeping statues, exorcisms, near-death experiences, mystical labyrinths, and more than 250 other unusual and unexplained phenomena, apparitions, and extraordinary experiences rooted in religious beliefs are explored in The Encyclopedia of Religious Phenomena.

J. Gordon Melton, the Distinguished Professor of American Religious History at the Institute for Studies of Religion, Baylor University, takes readers on a tour among angels, Marian apparitions, and religious figures such as Jesus, the Buddha, Muhammad, and Tao Tzu. Melton reports on dreams, feng shui, statues that bleed, snake handling, speaking in tongues, stigmata, relics-including the Spear of Longinus and the Shroud of Turin-and sacred locales such as Easter Island, the Glastonbury Tor, the Great Pyramids, Mecca, Sedona, and much more.

Each entry includes a description of a particular phenomenon and the religious claims being made about it as well as a discussion of what scientists say about it. Transcending the mundane, the entries take no sides on who is right or wrong: the journey is the experience and the experience is the journey. This fascinating encyclopedia is illustrated with 100 pictures and includes a detailed index and additional reading recommendations. It lets you experience the marvels of weeping statues and icons; exorcisms and ecstasy; the grilled cheese sandwich kit for making your own Virgin Mary image; and so much more.

About the Author

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J. Gordon Melton is the director of the Institute for the Study of American Religions and a research specialist with the department of religious studies at University College-Santa Barbara. He is the author of "The Cult Experience," "The Encyclopedia of American Religions," and "The Vampire Book." He lives in Santa Barbara, California.

Praise For…

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"Melton is a longtime researcher in esoteric traditions and new or unconventional religious movements, subjects on which he has written extensively. The book is fascinating to flip through, will interest a wide range of readers, and is written for nonexperts."  Library Journal

"If you can't learn an interesting bunch of facts from this book, you must already have a doctorate on the topic."  The Modesto Bee

"[T]his is an entertaining and fascinating look at an astonishing variety of ways that people experience belief."  The Dallas Morning News

"From the sensational to the conventional, this book covers it."  About.com

"The [book's] result cannot help but be inspiring or alarming, depending on your understanding of true faith."  Reference & Research Book News