The Handy Religion Answer Book
Good Fit
- Readers who want a systematic, comparative overview of world religions without committing to a full-length scholarly work
- Readers with concrete questions (like "What is the Star of David?" or "Who is the Dalai Lama?") looking for a reference book with direct answers
- Readers who want to compare different religious traditions within the same consistent structure
Not a Fit
- Readers wanting an in-depth, academic study of a single religious tradition — this is a broad survey, not a specialized monograph
- Readers who prefer continuous narrative and find the Q&A format unwieldy
The book traces the origin of Judaism to the story of Abraham — God's command that he leave Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) and his total submission to that command. Renard emphasizes that Abraham is a central figure not just as a "founder" but as the first "Hebrew" to receive divine revelation.
The story of Moses (roughly 1300 BCE) receives special attention — from the first revelation at the Burning Bush to the giving of the Ten Commandments at Sinai. Renard notes that the word "Jew" (from the Hebrew "yehudi") actually emerged centuries after Moses, in reference to the tribe of Judah.
The structure of the Torah is explained in detail: the 24-book Hebrew Bible is divided into three main sections — the Torah (the first five books), the Prophets (eight books, including the "major" and "minor" prophets), and the Writings (eleven books, including Psalms and Job). Together these three are known as the Tanakh.
The section closes by moving into the beginning of the Jewish tradition of textual interpretation — how Ezra's 5th-century BCE "rediscovery" of long-lost sacred texts and his translation of them into Aramaic gave rise to the "oral Torah" tradition, followed by Hillel's (c. 50-30 BCE) introduction of seven principles of interpretation ("middot"), such as the "light and heavy" principle.
- Every chapter repeats the same seven-subheading structure, which makes comparing different religions straightforward
- Questions are phrased the way a genuinely curious reader would ask them (e.g., "What is the Star of David?"), keeping academic jargon to a minimum
- Concrete dates and source citations (biblical passages, historical figures) ground every answer
- Photos and illustrations (Torah scrolls, synagogue images) add visual context to the text
If available on the site, another single-religion survey in a similar format
The book's remaining sections on the other 7 religious traditions — this review covers only the opening of the Judaism chapter
The rest of the Judaism chapter covers core beliefs (monotheism, the concept of covenant), rituals (the Sabbath, holidays), synagogue life, ethical teachings, and the different branches of contemporary Jewish community (Orthodox, Reform, Conservative). The book then moves to Christianity and Islam (the three Middle Eastern-origin traditions), then Hinduism and Buddhism (South Asian origin), and finally Taoism, Confucianism, and Shinto (East Asian origin).
Every chapter on a religion follows the same seven-subheading structure, letting readers directly compare questions across chapters — for instance, how each religion's sacred text took shape, or how each religion's leadership is structured. The book closes each section with its own glossary of terms and ends with a general "further reading" list.
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