How to Be a Perfect Stranger (1st Ed., Vol 1)
The Essential Religious Etiquette Handbook
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- $19.99
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
These easy-to-use guidebooks help the well-meaning guest of any other faith feel at ease, participate to the fullest extent possible, and avoid violating anyone's religious principles or hurting their feelings. Not a guide to theology. Not presented from the perspective of any particular faith.
What will happen? What do I do? What do I wear? What do I say? When is it OK to leave? What should I avoid doing, wearing, or saying? What are their basic beliefs? Should I bring a gift? These are just a few of the basic, very practical questions answered in How to Be a Perfect Stranger, two books that belong in every living room, library, and office. Originally published in hardcover by Jewish Lights Publishing, these updated and expanded trade paperback editions now include information for the Canadian branches of each faith, plus an added chapter on the largest Protestant denomination in Canada, The United Church of Canada.
VOL.1: How to Be a Perfect Stranger is based on information obtained from authorities of each religion. Assemblies of God; Baptist; Buddhist; The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ); Churches of Christ; Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist); Episcopalian and Anglican; Greek Orthodox; Hindu; Islam; Jehovah's Witnesses; Jewish; Lutheran; Methodist; Mormon (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints); Presbyterian; Quaker (Religious Society of Friends); Roman Catholic; Seventh-day Adventist; United Church of Canada; United Church of Christ.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Jewish Lights' two-volume set on how to participate in other people's religious ceremonies is destined to become the Miss Manners of religious etiquette. Volume one, published in 1996, considered "mainstream" American religious custom in congregations of the Assemblies of God, Baptists, Buddhists, Episcopalians, Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Methodists, Mormons and others. This volume explores the religious ceremonies of less mainstream faiths, such as the African American Methodist Church, Baha'i, the Church of the Nazarene, the Mennonites and the Amish, the Sikhs and the Pentecostal Church of God. An interesting feature of this second volume is its discussion of Native American religious ceremony. Because Native American ceremonies represent the cultural experiences of many different Native American peoples using a variety of native languages, the format of the book had to be redesigned to embrace their customs. Each section includes divisions on "History and Beliefs," "The Basic Service," "Holy Days and Festivals," "Life Cycle Events" and "Home Celebrations." Also included in each section are questions such as: "What is appropriate attire?" (to wear to services or other ceremonies); "Are gifts expected?"; "When should guests arrive and where should they sit?"; "Will a guest be expected to do anything but sit?" Also included in each section is a lexicon of special vocabulary and descriptions of ritual objects. The arrangement of the book also invites comparison between the essential beliefs and ceremonies of the religious faiths examined. The book's accessible style and its thorough content make it a useful tool for a deeper understanding of the variety of religious faith and practice.
