Religion - 50 Ideas You Really Need to Know

Peter Stanford

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The need to understand religion and the role it plays in our world has never been more pressing. The beliefs and actions of the planet's 2 billion Christians, 1.2 billion Muslims, 800 million Hindus and 700 million followers of other religions has an impact on every aspect of war and peace, ethics, politics, reproduction, family and social structure across every civilization and continent.

50 Religion Ideas You Really Need to Know aims to lift the clouds of confusion surrounding religion and to address its key issues. What is the 'Golden Rule' and how does it unite religious people? How did the divisions arise between Catholics and Protestants and what do they mean for us today? What are the differences between Anglicanism, Methodism, Baptism and Presbyterianism? What separates Sunni Muslims from Shi'a Muslims? What does it mean to be Jewish?

Award-winning writer Peter Stanford answers these and a myriad other questions in 50 Religion Ideas You Really Need to Know. Both readable and informative, it will appeal to anyone who wants to understand one of the most powerful and enduring forces shaping our world.

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Peter Stanford

Peter Stanford

Peter Stanford is a writer, journalist, broadcaster and prison reform campaigner. His biography subjects include the Cabinet minister and penal reformer, Lord Longford (made into a BAFTA-winning film), the Poet Laureate, C Day-Lewis, the Protestant reformer Martin Luther and the Devil (televised by the BBC), while his writings on the history, theology and cultural significance of religious ideas include Heaven: A Traveller's Guide, Pilgrimage: Journeys of Meaning, Judas: The Troubling History of the Renegade Apostle and Angels: A Visible and Invisible History. His books have been translated into twelve languages.

A former editor of the Catholic Herald (1988-1992), he writes features for the Daily and Sunday Telegraph titles, has an interview column in the Tablet and has presented television documentaries including the award-winning Channel 4 series, Catholics and Sex. Raised in Birkenhead, he has been director of the Longford Trust for penal reform since 2002.

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