This is an easy-to-use handbook for the origins, basic beliefs, and defining features of many of the world's religions, cults, and sects. Written with the Christian in mind, these profiles provide the reader with the fundamentals of today's religions and how they compare to Christianity. This will help all Christians better understand the religions, cults, and sects around them. Includes a brief history of each religion, its central beliefs, an overview of its organizational structure and an end-of-section list summarizing essential information, including (when applicable) - the deity/deities; date of the founding of the faith or movement; names of the particular sacred texts; names of famous leaders or individuals integral to understanding the subject; and websites and books for further study.