The Illustrated World's Religions: A Guide to Our Wisdom Traditions (Paperback)

~ (Author) "TRADITIONALLY, WHEN PEOPLE WANTED ANSWERS to life's ultimate questions - Where are we?..." (more)
Key Phrases: primal peoples, chun tzu, historical religions, Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Holy Spirit (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In lucid and captivating prose, Smith, the dean of world religionists, conducts readers on a whirlwind tour of the beliefs, practices and experiences of the world's religious traditions. Smith explores the major features of these religions by combining his own worlds with passages from the sacred texts of each. In addition, beautifully arresting images of icons, religious practitioners, sacred texts and sacred art accompany Smith's lyrical writing. The words and images of this book continually remind us that the world's faiths are not stagnant pools of decaying values but dynamic and vibrant waters from which their practitioners daily drink. The book also brings within range of our American hearing the voices of a wide variety of people for whom religion is the central fact of social and cultural life. If one buys only one of the number of recent introductions to world religions, this should be it.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Much is gained and lost in this third incarnation of a highly readable work first published in 1958 as The Religions of Man, which spoke without arcane religious jargon about seven major world religions. The title has been changed to eliminate gender bias, and the book itself is lavishly illustrated, with photographs that add a powerful visual dimension to the text and make the reader more aware of the importance of art in presenting religious ideas. What is lost is a great deal of text. Now whittled down by a third, this fine introductory-level college text has been reduced to a lightweight primer. Luckily for deeper readers, the second incarnation, The World's Religions (HarperSanFrancisco, 1991), is still available. Appropriate for public libraries.
Glenn Masuchika, Chaminade Univ. Lib., Honolulu
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne (August 18, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060674407
• ISBN-13: 978-0060674403
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #12,044 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Respect for the wisdom traditions, November 16, 2000

By	Gary Sprandel (Frankfort, Kentucky) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book has deep respect for the wisdom traditions and Huston Smith has lived this. A practicing Methodist, Smith had discussions with the Vendanta Society, does Hatha Yoga, and prays five times a day like the Muslims. His perspective is not one looking for divisions within a religion, but as an outsider wanting to understand the experiences. For example, in discussing Islam, he talks about the Sufis, but not about the division between Sunnis and Shi'ites.

This book is less about details, facts, and religious holidays, and more about the underlying meaning and unique insight of each religion. E.g., in discussing Hinduism he looks at "What people really want", about a wearing out of the material world. In the chapter of Judaism he discusses meaning in history and justice.

The illustrations complement the text with a symbolic sense of the culture and beliefs. Looking at a sculpture of a very sensual Shiva with consorts helps one realize that the Hindu view of pleasure may be different than your own. The Buddhist and Taoism paintings project a sense of peace. The photographs of the worshippers are very respectful.

49 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an excellent introduction to religion, September 26, 2001

By	arye orona "uwwie" (Denton, TX USA) - See all my reviews

In this book Huston discusses many of the major world religions, or systems of belief: Christianity, Judaeism, Islam, Hindism, Animism, etc. The Neutrality in his approach to these religions is refreshing. He's able to discuss the beliefs and practices of each of these religions without saying that one, or the other is necesarilly correct. Thus, the book doesn't get bogged down in discussing the truth claims of any one religion.

Huston has obviously done a great deal of research in the area of World religions. This work is an interesting and informative guide to understanding why people believe what they believe. In each section he gives a brief discussion of the history of each system of belief (for instance, he talks about Siddhartha's life in the section about Bhuddism). He then continues to discuss the main points, or fundamental beliefs, of each religion. In these discussions, Huston is concise and incredibly informative. Again, it's very obvious that he's done his homework. I found all of these sections very illuminating.

All of the major branches of religion are repressented here (both oriental and occidental thought). That doesn't necesarilly mean that all of the offshoots of any particular religion are repressented --that would probably lead to a much larger, more cumbersome work. With this in mind, Huston's book is an excellent source of information on the various world religions. I would recomend the book to anybody with an interest in religion. It is an excellent tool to help you understand the world, and is well worth the read.

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A solid overview of world religions, November 3, 2003

By	Debbie Lee Wesselmann (the Lehigh Valley, PA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

For those wanting to understand the core beliefs of world religions, this book is an excellent place to start. Author Smith includes chapters on Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity, and the "Primal Religions," or early tribal beliefs. While each section is remarkably detailed, this book remains an introduction, not a comprehensive examination. The explanations are straightforward and clear without being overly simplified. The illustrations and photographs, most in color, illuminate moments of each religion's faithful.

For students and scholars and the curious, this is a good reference book to own, if for no other reason than to expand your understanding of world beliefs. If you are looking for in-depth analysis, you would be better off looking elsewhere.