Religions of the World: I know, I deserve it for not reading carefully enough before purchasing, but I was so excited by the subject. That being said, it isn't bad, but leaves out a lot of things. I happened already to know about Judaism and Christianity, so I could fill in what was missing or neglected, but this could be dangerous and unfulfilling if I was trying to learn about them without previous knowledge (as in Islam; I have to take the word of the storyteller of this video here). I know about Judaism and Christianity, so I could fill in myself what was lacking in the video. This is good for children (I guess?) to teach them that different people worship in different ways, but to give a basic overview of world religions, I would not employ this as a teaching tool. It simply leaves out too many pieces of the puzzles for each of the religions. As a supplement to other instructions these short stories help provide some background knowledge for my students. I think it is definitely worth the money and could be great discussion starters. The stories are appropriate for middle school students. The Confucius and Buddha stories are my favorite. Religion posters really complement this subject. Dark Green Religion: Nature Spirituality and the Planetary Future : In this innovative and deeply felt work, Bron Taylor examines the evolution of "green religions" in North America and beyond: spiritual practices that hold nature as sacred and have in many cases replaced traditional religions. Tracing a wide range of groups--radical environmental activists, lifestyle-focused bioregionalists, surfers, new-agers involved in "ecopsychology," and groups that hold scientific narratives as sacred--Taylor addresses a central theoretical question: How can environmentally oriented, spiritually motivated individuals and movements be understood as religious when many of them reject religious and supernatural worldviews? The "dark" of the title further expands this idea by emphasizing the depth of believers' passion and also suggesting a potential shadow side: besides uplifting and inspiring, such religion might mislead, deceive, or in some cases precipitate violence. This book provides a fascinating global tour of the green religious phenomenon, enabling readers to evaluate its worldwide emergence and to assess its role in a critically important religious revolution.