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Title: The World's Religions: Our Great Wisdom Traditions by Huston Smith ISBN: 0-06-250811-3 Publisher: Harper SanFrancisco Pub. Date: 13 September, 1991 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.95 (62 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Good to know about the good side and wisdom of religions.
Comment: 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.
Rating: 5
Summary: Brilliant synopsis of the best of the world's religions
Comment: 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
Rating: 5
Summary: An Extraordinary Contribution to Our Understanding
Comment: The reviewer from Pendleton, NY, who wrote "What was He Thinking?," on April 2, 2004, simply misread the text. Admittedly, Smith's style is rather archaic at times; but it is always lucid English. Smith says in his examination of Judaism, regarding the biblical teaching on "sin" as missing the mark, "and this [missing the mark] people manage to do. Meant to be noble, they [human beings] are usually something less." Smith is not referring to a religion or ethnic community, but is supporting the biblical claim regarding the human condition. He continues, "Created more than animal, they [human beings] often sink to being nothing else." Both of the plural pronouns refer to human beings. While I appreciate the review, "Slight misquote supports biased review?," of April 15, 2004, it must be said that the problem for the earlier reviewer was not a mere "misquote," but a severe misunderstanding, and a rather silly one at that. Our debt to Huston Smith for the brilliant contribution he has made to our understanding of the world's great religious traditions is large. If you do not yet own this book, you should buy it now and read it again and again.
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Title: The World's Wisdom : Sacred Texts of the World's Religions by Philip Novak ISBN: 0060663421 Publisher: Harper SanFrancisco Pub. Date: 24 August, 1995 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: The Illustrated World's Religions : Guide to Our Wisdom Traditions, A by Huston Smith ISBN: 0060674407 Publisher: Harper SanFrancisco Pub. Date: 22 September, 1995 List Price(USD): $24.00 |
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Title: Why Religion Matters: The Fate of the Human Spirit in an Age of Disbelief by Huston Smith ISBN: 0060671025 Publisher: Harper SanFrancisco Pub. Date: 24 December, 2001 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Parallel Myths by J.F. Bierlein ISBN: 0345381467 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 11 October, 1994 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Religions of the World: The Illustrated Guide to Origins, Beliefs, Traditions & Festivals by Elizabeth Breuilly, Joanne O'Brien, Martin E. Marty, Martin Palmer ISBN: 081603723X Publisher: Checkmark Books Pub. Date: October, 1997 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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