Invitation to World Religions

Preface xxvii

Tom Norris, Florida International University Robert Y. Owusu, Clark Atlanta University Robert Pennington, Mount St. Joseph University Arlette Poland, College of the Desert Marialuce Ronconi, Marist College John Sanders, Hendrix College Claudia Schippert, University of Central Florida Paul G. Schneider, University of South Florida Joshua Shelly, University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign Adam Herbert Smith, McPherson College Theresa S. Smith, Indiana University of Pennsylvania Glenn Snyder, Indiana University– Purdue University Indianapolis

Phillip Spivey, University of Central Arkansas Donald Stikeleather, Marian University Dennis P. Tishken, Eastern Florida State College Hugh B. Urban, Ohio State University Andrew Christian van Gorder, Baylor University Joseph S. Wadas, Georgia Southern University James W. Ward, James Madison University Keith Welsh, Webster University Mlen-Too Wesley, Pennsylvania State University–Altoona David Wisdo, Columbus State University James A. Zeller, San Joaquin Delta College

Finally, we owe a debt of gratitude to the editorial staff at Oxford University Press. Our thanks go to Andy Blitzer, Acquisitions Editor for Philosophy and Reli- gion, who has overseen development of the Fourth Edition, with assistance from Leslie Anglin, Rachel Boland, Jaime Burns, and Peter Lacey. We are very grateful for their diligent work. The previous editions were overseen by then Executive Editor Robert Miller, who originally invited us to publish with Oxford and who put us in the excellent care of Senior Development Editor Meg Botteon, whose profes- sionalism and skill were an essential guiding force. Our thanks also go to Brad Rau for managing the final stages of the book’s production. PROPER Y OF OXFORD

UNIVERSITY PRESS