Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Learning about major religions, December 1, 2008
Wow. I am shocked by the last review on here. I have been very pleased with this book so far. I must admit I have only read the first 60 pages, but I can already tell that this is going to be head and shoulders above most religious books. I would rate it five stars, but since I have not completed it will refrain, and rate it only four.
I was actually on here to buy it as a gift because I am enjoying it when I saw the negative coment on this. I don't think that being critical of these religions is necessary to teach what they believe. in fact I would be highly disapointed in such a book. I want to learn what they believe not why I should love or hate them.
Many people have killed and committed atrocities in the name of all religions, but that does not mean that the God they worship, their prophets, or the religous books, teach killing and atrocities as a spiritual path to righteousness. Both Christianity and Islam had several wars in the name of God, or crusades and jihads respectively. That bad fruit does not mean that Jesus or Mohamed said kill thy neighbor and take his land, in fact Christianity teaches the opposite at its core, and my guess is that Islam basically teaches love thy neighbor as well. I am looking forward to reading the section on Islam.
This book looks at the major religions' core belief structure. Each major religion writen of here has lasted centuries and has prospered with many followers that believe they are on the correct path to making themselves and the world a better place. This book describes the main tennants of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity, and Primal Religions. From what I can tell so far it does not praise nor criticize the religions that it describes. It gives you the root structure and tree trunk of the major religons, as well as a glimpse of some of the larger branches, but one book can not do justice to the many branches of each of these religions.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A much-needed approach in a sea of "studies", March 5, 2009
Smith is very clear to lay out his purpose for this boko in the introduction: "This is a book about values." Smith likens his book to a music appreciation course where the "bad music" is ignored in order to more closely consider the good. I thinnk this is an excellent approach as it casts religions in the best light possible. It is an "inspirational" book by Smith's choice to give us the best of each faith. Smith himself is an expert in the subject matter. I had the honor of participating in an Interfaith Conference with him once and the depth of his knowledge, combined with his compassionate approach to each faith made for a phenomenal weekend.
That being said, I would suggest this book as a supplement to the many "studies" on the market. As a world religions professor, I make a point to assign Smith's book alongside a more "scientific" study. Where the other book offers the "mind" of the religion, Smith offers the "heart." I would not suggest Smith as a stand-alone for serious students of religion. It is, however, an excellent introduction for those who wish to see other religions as they (presumably) see their own: as sources to uplift and encourage the beliver.
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3 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Horay for belief!, November 23, 2008
I had hoped to find a factual description of various world religions. Instead I found an author who is a cheerleader for all beliefs. This book is full of tedious quotations from other sources extolling the virtues of _____ (fill in the blank with any religion). The book has more poetry than facts, more praise than critical evaluation. The repression of women in much of the Islamic world is dismissed as un-Islamic without so much as a single sidelong glance. The endless cycle of religiously motivated violence is blithely ignored. Interestingly ,the only (faint) criticism to be found is directed at Christianity, and even that is so minimal, that even the hardcore fundamentalists aren't likely to be offended. You'll likely get more satisfaction and a more thought provoking analysis looking up religions online.
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