For thousands of years, religion has dominated the political, economic, and sociological history of mankind, and continues to do so today. None of the world's faiths, however, are universally understood. Illustrated with more than 150 color photographs, this succinct overview looks at the fascinating stories of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism, and examines the way in which they express themselves in the modern world. Along the way, the text offers explanations of such events as the Crusades, the Reformation, the Shi'a and Sunni divide, the Holocaust, and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.