So what do they really believe?

By Michael Conlon, Religion Writer

CHICAGO (Reuters Life!) - So what exactly do Jews believe? Or Muslims? Or, for that matter, Christians, Buddhists and Druids?

And please explain each in 100 pages or so.

Trying to distill any belief to primal elements is perilous given the millions of faithful worldwide, some of whom can't agree on the shape of the faith they share.

But a series of slim, soft-cover, pocket-sized books is walking down that thorny path with 10 topics published so far and another two in the wings.

The "What Do We Believe" series from Britain's Granta Publishing, part of which is sold in North America by New York's Walker & Company, was conceived by editor George Miller, who was in New York City at the time of the Sept 11, 2001 attacks.

But while that event probably played some part in the origin of the series, he says, it was not conceived out of fear of the unknown "but a realization that the less we understood about other faiths, and the less we were able to distinguish what others believe from what we merely think they believe, the greater the scope for mutual misunderstanding, hostility and violence."

"We didn't necessarily expect to change the world, but we certainly hope that the books help inform the debate, and raise the quality of the debate," he told Reuters by e-mail from Europe. "One of the most encouraging signs of success is that translation rights have been bought in at least half a dozen languages."

As to the task involved, Miller said he conceived the "Very Short Introduction" series when he worked at Oxford University Press -- a project that now has dozens of titles with concise explanations for everything from "The Renaissance" to philosopher John Locke.