Forgotten Truth: The Common Vision of the World's Religions (Paperback)

by Huston Smith (Author) "In envisioning the way things are, there is no better place to begin than with modern science..." (more)
Key Phrases: terrestrial plane, intermediate plane, celestial plane, New York, Frithjof Schuon, Law of Effect (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This classic companion to The World's Religions articulates the remarkable unity that underlies the world's religious traditions

About the Author
Huston Smith is widely regarded as the most eloquent and accessible contemporary authority on the history of religions. A leading figure in the comparative philosophy of religion, he has taught at Washington University, MIT, and Syracuse University.

He currently teaches at the University of California, Berkeley.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne (October 9, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062507877
• ISBN-13: 978-0062507877
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #204,976 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What do religions have in common?, August 7, 2000

By	John S. Ryan "Scott Ryan" (Silver Lake, OH) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

As Huston Smith writes in his introduction to this valuable work, it was some twenty years after he wrote _The World's Religions_ (originally entitled _The Religions of Man_) that he came to understand the "core" worldview common to all religions. That was in 1972, when this book was first published.

It is that "core" view which he presents here. Essentially it is this: there are "levels of being" such that the more real is also the more valuable; these levels appear in both the "external" and the "internal" worlds, "higher" levels of reality without corresponding to "deeper" levels of reality within. On the very lowest level is the material/physical world, which depends for its existence on the higher levels. On the very highest/deepest level is the Infinite or Absolute -- that is, God.

Basically this volume is an attempt to recover this view of reality from materialism, scientism, and "postmodernism." It does not attempt to adjudicate among religions (or philosophies), it does not spell out any of the important _differences_ between world faiths, and it is not intended to substitute a "new" religion for the specific faiths which already exist.

Nor should any such project be expected from a work that expressly focuses on what religions have in common. Far from showing that all religions are somehow "the same," Smith in fact shows that religions have a "common" core only at a sufficiently general level. What he shows, therefore, is not that there is really just one religion, but that the various religions of the world are actually agreeing _and_ disagreeing about something real, something about which there is an objective matter of fact, on the fundamentals of which most religions tend to concur while differing in numerous points of detail (including practice).

Of course any two religions therefore have much more in common than any single religion has with "materialism". In fact one way to state the "common core" of the world's religions is simply to say that they agree about the falsehood of "materialism."

The volume stands well enough in its own right, of course, but it also makes an excellent companion to _The World's Religions_. (And if you are looking for an introductory overview of what the great world religions believe and teach, that other work is highly recommended.)

It also contains a critique of Darwinism which, as Smith notes in his introduction, has since found some gratifying confirmation in the writings of others. Smith, writing in 1991, mentions Phillip Johnson's _Darwin On Trial_; since that time a number of other critiques have been published, including a few more by Johnson.

The reader of this book might therefore also wish to look into Johnson's books as well as some or all of the following: Lee Spetner's _Not By Chance!_, Michael Denton's _Evolution: A Theory in Crisis_ and _Nature's Destiny_, William Dembski's _Intelligent Design_ and _The Design Inference_, and Michael Behe's _Darwin's Black Box_. (On the "pro" side, one of the best positive accounts of Darwinian evolutionary theory is still John Maynard Smith's _The Theory of Evolution_.)

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you are seeking meaning in your life, read this book!, April 6, 2006

By	Patrick D. Goonan "www.meaningful-life.us" (Pleasanton, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is a great little book for people that are searching for meaning in a modern world. It looks at the common core of the world's wisdom traditions in a very thoughtful and sometimes even poetic way. It is not really a comprehensive, academic exploration of the world's wisdom traditions, but rather a summary with personal reflections from a man who studied religions all of his life.

The power of this little book is revealed in the language that the author uses to express his points so beautifully. It sheds light on the interiority of the universe in a way that the average person can relate to. In other words, it's not written like a philosophical treatise.

There are some criticisms below that indicate that this book is dated. There is some truth to that if what you are looking for is the most up-to-date, factual and well-referenced book on the subject. However, if you are new to this area, you will find an enjoyable, educational, fascinating and thought provoking journey into the very heart of the world's religions.

Because of the nature of the subject matter, Huston Smith is sharing a lot of his own personal viewpoints. However, as someone who has been exploring this territory for his entire 80+ year life with a best seller on world religions under his belt, he is a quite a credible tour guide in this subject. That is not to say there aren't shortcomings to the book, but he writes from his heart and years of experience, which to me is well worth listening to.

I like Huston Smith's reflections on the shortcomings of science and I think most people will find them good food for thought. Science holds such a place of prominence in our culture that alternatives to the modern and post-modern worldviews are not often entertained. This book certainly raises the right questions in the area, but some of the criticism about not touching on quantum physics, living system theory, etc. is warranted. This would have given the book more punch in these chapters.

I still give Huston Smith a 5 for his power to use words that touch the heart and provoke responses from people's depths. It is very difficult to write a book that is all things to all people, but for its length, this is a wonderful read and introduction to the perrenial philosophy.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Infinity takes up a lot of space., October 22, 1998

By A Customer

This book clearly explains how the many divergent religious traditions are indeed referring to the same ultimate reality. If there is an infinite being, then it can be described in infinite ways. If there is an infinite being, then there is nowhere else for another infinite being to exist. This book is an extremely cogent argument for pluralism.