Introduction

This introduction chapter presents an overview of key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book indicates how people understand "the great religions", "the religious founders", and "spirituality" and also indicates what is meant by "light" and "warmth", suggesting the relevance to the spiritualities of the great religious founders. It remains to preview how this study of the great religious founders will unfold and it considers the incarnate Word of God, is the light of salvation. First, the book sketches the religious culture then offers a brief biography. Then it explains the founder's worldview-sense of reality, ways of applying the spirituality to the major dimensions of human existence and concludes each chapter with a "friendly criticisms". Finally the book proposes what about "A Foundational Spirituality" and considers how light and warmth might translate into freedom and love.