Rating: 
Summary: Many Religions, One World
Review: Some people know that they believe in their religion, but they don't really know what their religion believes in. Some are wholly devoted to their own religion, but they couldn't care less about what others believe. And some people despise the idea of religion altogether.Huston Smith is here to show us the importance of religion, and the increasing importance of understanding each other as technology links us closer and closer together. He takes us on a grand tour of seven of the world's most popular religious traditions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity), but he does this in a special way that makes his book one of the single best volumes we have for understanding the religions of the world. First, notice the order in which he treats the religions: Hinduism first, Christianity last. He wants to challenge you, the Western reader, by starting with the most esoteric of faiths and working his way back toward the familiar Judeo-Christian perspective that most of us grew up with. Next, he focuses on the best part of religion--the ideas. Society, in its money-guzzling, war-mongering ways, has kidnapped religion and done some pretty terrible things in its name. By examining religion apart from the grunge of society, Smith shows us that, in themselves, our world religions contain some of the most meaningful insights into human nature that human beings have ever had. Finally, Smith brings out the beauty of each religion. You know how an artist tries to render his subject in its best light? That's what Huston Smith does with each religion. Whether he's describing Lila, the Cosmic Dancer of Hinduism, shocking us into selflessness in the Buddhism chapter, or warming our hearts with the idea of love in Christianity, page after page Smith turns out passages of keen intellect and breathtaking beauty. Smith has such a way with words that, as I read each chapter, I found myself saying, "Hmm... maybe I should become a ---" [complete the sentence with any one of the religions covered in this book]. And I think that's Smith's idea. To make us proud of the several unique and beautiful visions of the universe that our religions have given us, and to make us see that each one contributes something of great value to humanity.
Rating: 
Summary: Not what I had expected
Review: I wanted a book that provided information on world religions such as history, life of the founder, major doctrines and rituals. This book is simply not organized in a logical manner. For example, in Buddhism the section on the founder is called "The Man Who Woke Up." In Confucianism it is "The first Teacher." In Islam "The Seal of the Prophets." The varied titles and different locations in each section make it almost impossible to compare and contrast. Standard headings in every section would have been very helpful. There also aren't enough subheadings and sometimes the text rambles on without really presenting useful and to the point information. I also felt that Smith was too much of an apologist. Every religion has its "controversial" teachings and I would have preferred contrasting viewpoints of these issues from scholars within the various faiths, rather than Smith's cheerleading. For example, in the section on polygamy in Islam, Smith justifies it by saying that men are naturally polygamous therefore it is better for men to have multiple sex partners within the bonds of polygamous marriage than have adultery in monogamous marriage. Smith ignores the fact that many women are also adulteresses and Islamic polygamy presents no opportunity for women to enjoy multiple sex partners within the bonds of marriage. He ignores the fact that one of the main reasons that Muslim women apply for divorce is because their husband chose to become a polygamist. Many Muslim women remain stuck in unhappy marriages with part-time husbands and fathers for their children because they can't afford to leave their philandering male. Women in many Muslim countries simply aren't able to leave polygamous marriages at will the way Smith claims. He also ignores the fact that the roughly equal numbers of men and women in the world make polygamy impractical. Smith claims that monogamy creates prostitution and polygamy prevents it. When some men take multiple wives they leave others with none creating a huge demand for prostitution. It is little wonder that prostitution is such a huge business in the normally conservative Middle East. The Koran itself only allowed the practice as a means of caring for orphans and does not mention men's sex drives as a justification. Many Muslims scholars disapprove of the practice in general and their views are not presented. Smith simply portrays his own narrow views without looking at the complexity of the situation or the variety of viewpoints among Muslims themselves. After all, if God had meant for men to have four wives he would have created 4 women for every 1 man. In reality, it is a biological fact that for every 100 girls that are born, 106 boys are born. Smith simply ignores the complexity of many issues and the varied viewpoints of the adherents of the faiths. I was left wondering what simplistic points he may have made about other faiths that I have less knowledge of. My recommendation is to look elsewhere if you want a general overview of other faiths. If you want one man's narrow viewpoints you might like this book.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: Great book for those who wish to learn about world religions. User friendly. Easy to understand.
Rating: 
Summary: a helpful, simple introduction
Review: I first came across this fascinating,"Reader's Digest" introduction to world religion when a professor assigned it as a textbook for a Introduction to Western Religions class I had as an undergraduate. It is not as unbiased as it would like to portray itself as and it certainly holds more clarity when illustrated Christianity, Islam and Judiasm. Granted, it may be my personal perspective, but I found the areas of Eastern Religion somewhat convoluted and rushed. That said, "The Religions of Man" while out of print and really surface level in its discussions, serves as a helpfull, simple introduction to a few of the world's great religions. Let one know that there is absolutely no substitute for reading the scriptures of the various faiths and beliefs, Smith's work does indeed bait the hook of interest. Worth seeking out and reading. Not a classic, but helpful non the less.
Rating:
Summary: The World's Religions
Review: Insightful, thought provoking, and concise. Recommended to anyone wanting to gain a general understanding of how the world's religions work.
Rating: 
Summary: interesting read, but not impartial
Review: Smith's survey of religions may be an enjoyable read but his attitude towards different religions is not entirely objective. The amount of information on what he calls "Indigenous religions" is insultingly low. Furthermore, while Smith gives attention to "Eastern" (non-Christian) religions, the text is noticeably less readable, applicable and engaged in these sections, and the book dedicates an unnecessarily large amount of space to describing the differences in Prodestant Christian beliefs. He furthers the misconception that a relatively uninvolved, uninformed perspective on Indigenous or Earth-religions is either sufficient or appropriate to a book on World Relions. Granted, those he dedicates the larger part of the book to (and I do mean larger) are practiced with wider political visibility and have been more readily documented, however, the histories of indigenous and earth religions are thoroughly saturated with underrepresentation and indoctrination by supporters of such dominant religions. So this method furthers the unfair allocation of attention, *which it sets out to remedy*. Another point is his lack of continuity in methods of displaying the different faiths. Whereas his discussion of Hinduism, for example, is systemic and removed, in his discussion of Christianity he even goes so far as to compliment Christ on his winning personality. Where is the systemic method of weaning truth from religion that Smith professes to apply throughout in the introduction? It doesn't seem helpful to treat Christianity as an entirely different can of worms than the rest of religions-- and to do so begs some sort of rationale which Smith does not provide. Religion is a system of belief, and selling a *religion* on the charisma of its leader and her/his capacity to *interpret* truth to people seems relatively less useful. I was confused and frustrated by this as well as his underrepresentation of any beliefs (Paganism, unitarianism, etc) which do not fit into the religious categories he has ascribed. Most of that which he ignores seems to be the ideas or religions which tend to unite across boundaries and remain open to new ideas. This book is not a fair representation of the world's religions. It is informative, if you want the perspective of yet another "Western" (arguably pro-Christian) analysis on the religions of the world. "The Sacred: Ways of Knowledge Sources of Life" and "Drawing the Moon," which are about Native North and South American and Neo/Pagan beliefs, respectively, (sorry I don't have more to recommend) might balance this book out at least a bit.
Rating: 
Summary: Huston is good but..
Review: I liked reading this book and found it educational and yet an easy read. I was truly disapointed though at how Huston after describing every religion with such impartiality crashes so heavily (and writes so glowingly) when writing about jewism. I am not a religious person so please don't take this as anti semitism, but it makes a discordant note in otherwise good book.
Rating:
Summary: Perennial Religious Truths
Review: This book (which I first encountered in 1958 under the title
"The Religions of Man") is the best introduction to the world's great religions that I have ever read. Huston Smith explains Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism and Islam "from the inside" so that even a novice can sense the spiritual bases of each of these faiths. Prof. Smith's book is definitely a contribution to cross-cultural understanding.
Rating:
Summary: Probably The Best Introductory Text for All Major Traditions
Review: Huston Smith's outstanding "The World's Religions" has served scholars both amateur and professional as the main introductory text for religious studies for almost half a century. It has gone through two major revisions, updating both language and information based upon new directions in religious thought, and added a chapter on tribal, animistic traditions found among the rapidly-dwindling native peoples of the world. "TWR" covers all the major faiths: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. Smith explores each religion in its historical context, and uses examples from major religious texts to attempt to paint a picture of each tradition. His writing style flows easily, making for an easily-accessible book that literally anyone could read, although he can be a little spastic at times, switching from idea to idea and back again in ways that aren't always clear. This fault makes it difficult for Smith to explore any belief-structure to a major degree of depth, but since this is an introductory book, that's not a major problem. It's a taste, not the entrée. But it still tastes good. Smith takes a very non-judgmental approach to how he presents each tradition: he covers only the good aspects, except for some major historical points (the conflict between Christianity and Islam, for example). This means that there is very little comparison between faiths, except where warranted when one religion came from another - Christianity from Judaism, and Buddhism from Hinduism. Be that as it may, "TWW" is an excellent introduction for anyone interested in learning about different religions in an objective way. It's not going to spell out which religion is right and which isn't - like any good scholar, Smith leaves that up to the reader. Instead, he offers something to be enjoyed in the spirit of learning. Final Grade: B+
Rating:
Summary: Doesn't make the cut.....
Review: I have to read this for my religious studies 101 class. Needless to say, I was dissappointed. This book addresses that all religions get people to the right spot, which is not true. Being religious is being in some kind of fantasy world, away from reality. Being a Christian is taking refuge in Christ and learning to FACE REALITY, not hide from it. Smith should make this clear in the next edition of the book.
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