--- Religion on the Internet ---

The Internet has plenty of content about religion (and religions) but there are a few sites that I can recommend as references. As of 2/18/2018, these sites are still active.

Adherents (http://www.adherents.com) primarily provides up to date statistics on religious groups, but also has resources that describe various religions, denominations, and movements.

The Big Religion Chart (http://www.religionfacts.com/big-religion-chart) provides a nice, compact comparison of most of the world religions you are ever likely to encounter. It is part of the ReligionFacts (Just the facts on religion.) website which provides many other resources including a pdf downloadable version of the Big Religion Chart.

Religion Online (http://www.religion-online.org) is an excellent digital library of (mostly Christian) resources including many ancient and modern classics.

Among these three, you should find plenty of information to get you started in your own religion studies.

If you want to find a particular sacred text, the Internet Sacred Text Archive seems to be the largest Internet repository of religious writings (http://www.sacred-texts.com). Since it has information on the Necronomicron, a fictional tome mentioned in the horror literature of H. P. Lovecraft, I'd say it's pretty complete.

--- Books I like ---

It suddenly struck me (Whack!) that putting the reference blogs at the end of a section is sorta like putting the cart before the horse. So, I'll remedy that.

If you're going to sample the variety of religions in your area, two references are a must - an extensive reference of denominations, and an extensive reference of religions.

A great reference for world religions is the Adherents website, but I'll discuss that in the next religion blog. A good "book" is the Handbook of Religious Beliefs and Practices, a manual used by the State of Washington Department of Corrections. Evidently Washington state is serious about religious freedom in their prisons and they actually consulted people who practice various religions - both major and minor. This manual has been through several revisions - the copy I have is 2012 and is available at www.doc.wa.gov/docs/publications/500-HA001.pdf

For a complete rundown of denominations (Christian and other), I haven't found a better reference than Frank Mead's Handbook of Denominations. The 13th edition is by Craig D. Atwood, Frank S. Mead, and Samuel S. Hill (2010 Abingdon Press, Nashville).

World Scripture: A Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts by Andrew Wilson (ed.) is an interesting topical comparison of various sacred texts. It was published in 1991 by the International Religious Foundation and can be accessed here: https://www.tparents.org/Library/Unification/Books/World-S/WS-01.pdf (accessed 2/14/18).

Modern religion can be dizzying in it's diversity. If you want a field guide to new religions, I would recommend the Encyclopedia of New Religions edited by Peter B. Clarke and published by Routledge (2006).

A fascinating read is the Magico-Religious Groups and Ritualistic Activities: A Guide for First Responders by Tony M. Kail. (2008 CRC Press). The title says it all.

If you want to do an in depth study of a specific religion you might want to track down a sample of their major sacred texts and read them. But be forewarned, some religions do not have texts, they have libraries.