ABSTRACT
It is essential, obviously, to know the main features of the major religions, and that is what we have studied so far in this book. But we must also realize that every one of them was once a new religion and would always be challenged by other new religions. Some “new religions,” such as Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam, have gone on to become major world religions themselves. Many other new religions have not become large or have not survived at all. But often they have left traces in their cultures and have played a part in world history. Most important of all, they have frequently met the religious needs of the people of their times and places, needs that the major, established religions on the scene could not meet or perhaps did not even recognize.
