Background Reading - Religion - ResearchGuides at Western Carolina University

General Encyclopedias

Encyclopedia of Religion
REFERENCE BL31 .E46 2005 vols. 1-15
With almost 4,000 entries, this is the granddaddy of the religion reference works. This set was published first in 1987 under the editorship of Mircea Eliade and revised in 2005. Covers the expected--judaism, the Inquisition, Islam; the not unexpected--rites of passage, martyrdom, evil; the surprising--food, work, insects, ecology.

Credo Reference
Contains electronic versions of about 20 religion reference works from the world's leading publishers. The Find a Book tab allows you to see the religion titles included in this collection of over 350 authoritative reference works, and the search box allows you to limit your searches to religion titles.

Oxford Reference Online: Premium Collection
Provides authoritative information from over 100 reference works published by Oxford University Press, almost 20 of them related to religion. In addition this database contains comprehensive scholarly articles from an expanding range of key titles in the Oxford Companions series and also includes the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations.

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Why Use These Sources?

Encyclopedias and dictionaries offer overviews of topics in religion. They explain key concepts, define terms, identify important thinkers and leaders, and explain the historical and social context. The scholars who write the entries recommend the best reading on the topic. Articles that treat non-religion topics from a religion standpoint--violence, music, dreams--are often enlightening.

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