Customer Reviews

The World's Religions: Our Great Wisdom Traditions

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Mr. Smith extracts from the world's great religions - Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity - that which is ideal. He intentionally does not delve into the minutiae of religious history or the many ways in which religion has been used as a vehicle for evil. As he explains, "The empowering theological and metaphysical truths of the world's religions are . . . inspired. Institutions - religious institutions emphatically included - are another story. . . ."

The book thus sets forth in careful, clear prose and clever detail the very best of seven influential world religions - their core beliefs, their inherent beauty. Mr. Smith is a genius with an analogy, and unfamiliar, or arguably bizarre, religious abstractions are summed up and made concrete in the stroke of a pen. Take, for example, the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. "It holds that while God is fully one, God is also three. The latter half of this claim leads Jews and Muslims to wonder if Christians are truly monotheists, but Christians are confident that they are. As water, ice, and steam, H2O ssumes states that are liquid, solid, and gaseous while retaining its chemical identity."

This brilliant book is a "must read" for everyone, of every religious persuasion. The respect it instills for diverse religious beliefs, and the manner in which the reader slowly comes to realize how much seemingly incompatable religious systems have in common, is nothing less than profound.

-- Christine Klein

Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism... Huston Smith handles each of these religions with such care and understanding one truly believes they are reading the words of a believer of each and not an outside observer. This book is wonderful for the numerous proverbs and wisdom of each religion alone, but it is an invaluable reference for anyone who wants a broader understanding of world religion. Each religion is covered simply and broadly, but with enough depth and feeling to give a reader a true sense of understanding. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

This is the text book used at the high school I currently attend for the World Religion class. It is much too complex for the average high school junior so I don't know why the school chose it. I however found the book to be a remarkable literary masterpiece. It uses vivid language and broad ideas to portray many of the worlds great religions. It does not give a full detail of all the religions but only a general description and some highlight of dogma. The author limits the book to the main sect of each religion and does not go into small segregations (i.e. Christianity not Baptist). This 17 y/o high school junior believes that this book is a must read for any person looking for a faith to fit your beliefs or just anyone curious about the beliefs of other people in the world.

_The World's Religions_ (published in its first editions as _The Religions of Man_) makes good reading for those of us who want to know a little bit about a lot of faiths. There is something here about just about every organized spiritual tradition I could think of, plus many that were new to me.

Smith explains each religion with a clear, nonjudgmental style. His aim is to give a broad survey, rather than defend a thesis. Beginning readers of comparative religion will find this book a great introduction and an invaluable resource.

This is one of the most meaningful and insightful books I have ever read. Mr. Smith gives the reader a reasonable explanation of each of the world's major religions. One of the most interesting parts of the book is the discussion of the historical period that gave birth to each religion. While I have never met Mr. Smith or heard him speak, I suspect he has studied linguistics along with religion. I say this because he often takes time to explain meanings of concepts in the context of their native language and culture. I found this fascinating.

As someone who has tried to write, I found Mr. Smith's talent in this area to be awe-inspiring. I can't count the number of times I would read a paragraph, then look back in amazement at the depth of information that had been conveyed in such a small space. For those who seek to understand other cultures and religions, or even to better understand their own, this book is a gift.

Being at a stage of agnosticism, I found myself curious and needing to know more about all the religions, and decided to try Houston Smith's "The World's Religions". Smith includes the world's predominant faiths: Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity and the native traditions several continents. If this is your first contact with many of these religions, you will for sure feel lost. Even in the engaging way Smith writes, there is just too much information that is left out, and I often found myself wondering about certain subjects that were mentioned but not explained. My main problem with this book was perhaps the lack of more historical facts, a clear exposure of the main differences between religions, and a better index, which is essential not only for reference but also for people who are having their first contact with religion (For instance, Torah, now what's that anyway? Hmm, no, it's not in the index...hmm).

Not even Smith's summaries at the end of each chapter will leave you with the feeling you finally understand it all, and I wouldn't mind having some graphics clarifying things out a bit better instead of having to take notes all the time - A broader view on the subject. I am perhaps spoiled with my engineering degree in college where complex matters are usually explained with the help of some diagrams, so some people might not miss this aspect.

But don't get me wrong. This book does deliver most of what it promises, and attempts to cover extremely complex matters of heart that are simply impossible to fully present in a book, much of it you will have to feel, not read. It is poor on history, but it's not supposed to have much more on that field (I would prefer a bit more), and also, what might annoy some people is that it is not a balanced account of its subject. You will only get to know about values, attention will be given only to the good parts. If you want a balanced account on religions, including fanaticism, persecution, and those sides that are more of a curse than a blessing, but still are part of it, you will have to find another book. If you want to learn about the main values, (many of which they all share) it's here, but keep in mind that you are not seeing the dark side of the moon.

My objective was precisely learning about the values of each religion, and how they compare to each other. (This book is better with the first problem than with the second). Smith apparently did not want to go too deep into the comparative religions waters, as comparisons probably always end up comparing their worth and are sometimes odious. The price for not showing one religion as superior to others is that you will not get comparisons, or you will get very little of it.

Finally, the differences are sometimes minimal, but sometimes huge. Smith explains most of it clearly, and if you are ready to look at those religions through other's eyes you will understand it better. I found interesting the thoughts on how religions are all basically alike

This book was somewhat of a failure to me, but I guess that it is ultimately impossible to find a book on this issue that will please me or give me the fully clear knowledge I would like, as it is very hard to understand religions, and even more when they are not our own (no matter if you are theist, atheist or agnostic).

Lacking more history, and a clearer explanation of the institutional dimensions of those religions, along with some other subjects, it is still a great book and most of all a good intro to the wisdom those religions share. You will probably find yourself wanting more information, but Houston Smith's work is a good place to start.

Overall, you might end up still a bit confused, but you can still benefit from the wisdom Smith managed to gather in those few pages. I recommend it, it's worth your money.

I have used this book as a textbook for my community college classes since 1989. (It used to be entitled The Religions of Man.) Many of my students are unfamiliar with religions other than their own and find this book a good introduction to the beliefs of others. I think it is well written and covers a lot of ground. I also like the personal tone of the writing.

I do supplement my lectures with material from other sources because Smith does not give as much information on history as I would like. He explains why in the introduction. I recommend this book often.

This book gives overviews of the major world religions: Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Taoism, and Confucianism. It has all you'll need for a good understanding of each. For example, if you're wondering not just what Christianity is all about, but what the differences are between, say, Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, the book will tell you. Furthermore, it treats all the religions fairly, spending equal time on each. I can see no better guide for a person interested in learning about religion. And if there's one religion you really like and want to learn even more about, the author gives suggestions for further reading. Excellent book. Highly recommended.

From what I've read previously, many people regarded Huston Smith's initial version of this book (The Religions of Man) as a classic examination of religions; a work that would have retained it's reputation without revision. Yet Dr. Smith was not content to allow his words to become dated, and we are all the better for it. Some of the changes might be regarded as more or less stylistic, such as rendering the title and text more gender neutral and thus more reflective of current thinking. Other additions include a discussion of the aboriginal philosophies of native Americans, Australians and Pacific Islanders. However the core appeal of this book comes from Dr. Smith's ability to illuminate the core principals and philosophies of each religion with both respect and admiration.

Smith states his purpose early on as an exploration of ideas and beliefs. And he explicitly warns that this book "is not a balanced account of it's subject." Accordingly, "this is a book about values" not religious history. As such it forms an excellent basis from which a person might broaden their understanding of the major religions of the world. This is reinforced at the end of each chapter with the author's suggestions for sources of additional reading and exploration.

Given the immensity of his subject matter, I'm amazed that Dr. Smith was able to keep his book at a manageable size. There are so many branches and divisions within the various religions that a less disciplined scholar might become lost in, adding pages and pages of minutiae that might otherwise obscure the overall purpose of relating how people of different faiths define and seek to become closer to God.

I might issue one caveat to "index-browsers" like myself, who check out the index for areas of interest prior to beginning the book. There are some topics, like Mormonism, the Bahai beliefs, Scientology and current trends in religious fundamentalism that are given cursory or no discussion. You might find that disappointing at first, but invest the time in reading a chapter or two, you will find it well worth your while.

This book was more than I could ever have asked or expected. I first picked it up rather desultorily, not expecting to be impressed. However, in five minutes I was gripped and remained that way for the very few days it took me to finish it, so fascinated was I. Smith captures beautifully and with great insight the heart of each faith, revealing the centre of each belief and demonstrating simply and humbly the beauty contained at its heart. From start to finish I was overflowing with admiration, both for its wise and inspired author who opened untold doors to my wondering eyes, and for the people of the world who follow these paths. I am a devoted and unashamed admirer of Huston Smith and I cannot praise his work enough.