5 stars (A premier book by a premier author !) - Huston Smith's book is a prominent review of the world's religions. His coverage of these religions is filled with accuracy, eloquence, objectivity, depth, and grace. This book will provide the reader with a marvelous educational experience! 5 stars (A Very Satisfying Theological and Intellectual Appetizer) - From what I've read previously, many people regarded Huston Smith's initial version of this book (The Religions of Man) as a classic examination of religions; a work that would have retained it's reputation without revision. Yet Dr. Smith was not content to allow his words to become dated, and we are all the better for it. Some of the changes might be regarded as more or less stylistic, such as rendering the title and text more gender neutral and thus more reflective of current thinking. Other additions include a discussion of the aboriginal philosophies of native Americans, Australians and Pacific Islanders. However the core appeal of this book comes from Dr. Smith's ability to illuminate the core principals and philosophies of each religion with both respect and admiration. Smith states his purpose early on as an exploration of ideas and beliefs. And he explicitly warns that this book "is not a balanced account of it's subject." Accordingly, "this is a book about values" not religious history. As such it forms an excellent basis from which a person might broaden their understanding of the major religions of the world. This is reinforced at the end of each chapter with the author's suggestions for sources of additional reading and exploration. Given the immensity of his subject matter, I'm amazed that Dr. Smith was able to keep his book at a manageable size. There are so many branches and divisions within the various religions that a less disciplined scholar might become lost in, adding pages and pages of minutiae that might otherwise obscure the overall purpose of relating how people of different fa... HarperSanFrancisco :: Religion & Comparative Religion :: World - General :: Religions :: Religion - World Religions :: Religion :: Reference :: General :: Comparative Religion :: Huston Sm :: The World-s Religions- Our Great Wisdom Traditions
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