The World's Religions: Our Great Wisdom Traditions

• Hinduism,

• Buddhism,

• Confucianism,

• Taoism,

• Islam,

• Judaism,

• Christianity,

• and the native traditions of the Americas, Australia, Africa, and Oceania.

Emphasizing the inner -- rather than institutional -- dimensions of these religions, Smith devotes special attention to Zen and Tibetan Buddhism, Sufism, and the teachings of Jesus. He convincingly conveys the unique appeal and gifts of each of the traditions and reveals their hold on the human heart and imagination.

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.


Brilliant synopsis of the best of the world's religions   June 7, 1997
82 out of 85 found this review helpful

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


An excellent reference book for laymen with great insights   November 30, 1998
LANCE R LINDLEY (Memphis, TN)
77 out of 81 found this review helpful

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.


Wonderful read, but hard to understand   November 30, 1999
Matt Morrissette (Manchester, NH)
58 out of 63 found this review helpful

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.


Woefully Outdated and Simplistic   January 15, 2007
DJ ProFusion - WorldFusionRadio.com (Evanston, IL)
43 out of 67 found this review helpful

In my years of teaching philosophy and religion I have read many textbooks intended for introductory college courses. Most of the religious textbooks are dumbed down to the point of worthlessness and Smith's certainly falls into that category. I have a special angst over Smith's book though because so many lazy college instructors use it for the wrong reasons.

Smith wrote this book in 1958 and though the text has been updated a few times (though not at all since 1991) it remains riddled with outdated myopic viewpoints. Smith takes a disppointingly detached viewpoint toward religions that only observes the surfaces and does not plumb the depths. Worse, he never looks at religions within their context but looks at them from an American 1950's standpoint. What results is a kind of "gee whiz look at what those people do" dog and pony show that doesn't give students any real insight or understanding. I am sure Smith did not mean to be disrepsectful to the religions he covered but he nevertheless ends up being so.

Instructors assign this book for two main reasons. One, it is cheaper than all of the rest. Two, because its outdated and superficial treatment does not challenge students or instructors. No one has to take religions seriously or try to truly understand believers in context. While instructors thus get students to like them they are really shortchanging the students. It is irresponsible to assign a textbook that does not take into account the many significant religious events of the past 50 years and does not treat believers of other religions as full people living in a diverse and complex culture. It is far more important to give students a meaningful education than save them a few dollars on a simplistic book. The publishers should retire this book and no religion instructor should assign it.