The World's Religions

There might come a time in your life that you yearn to know more about Religion - maybe it is to seek meaning, maybe it is curiosity, maybe you are just down on your luck and need something uplifting. Whatever the reason might be, here you are and trying to figure it all out. But this is no easy endeavor by any means - one only need think of Christendom and its Eastern Orthodox Christians, Quakers, Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Unitarians to get an idea, or a headache.

So where do you start?

Perhaps a great guidance in a time like this is The World's Religions by Houston Smith, who speaks on the subject authoritatively and eloquently. Smith covers Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity in less than 400 pages, but none of them is rushed through - each subject is well explained, delved in deep, and thoughtfully laid out for the reader, as if it is the sole concern of the book. Smith convincingly conveys the unique appeal and gifts of each of the traditions and reveals their hold on the human heart and imagination.

This is a book that takes religion seriously; All religions. It does not belittle, mock, or patronize. It is not a tourist guide either - the concepts explained are deep and significant. Religion is a serious matter and the author treats it as such. And I quote:

"Religion alive confronts the individual with the most momentous option life can present. It calls the soul to the highest adventure it can undertake, a proposed journey across the jungles, peaks, and deserts of the human spirit. The call is to confront reality, to master the self..."

This is also a book about values. The author's concern is the world's religions at their best - not much on histories or institutions, but ideas, and wisdom deposits - the empowering essence of religion. The author strives, almost painfully, to give reader the best of the best, and I think he succeeded admirably.

On top of everything, Smith writes well. His writing is clear and beautiful. He can take a complex idea - and believe me, in religion there are plenty of those - and put it in simple terms. He uses fables, stories, and quotes to make his idea even clearer. His prose is free flowing and poetic - a great pleasure to read.

So it would be fitting to end this entry with what the author wrote at the end of the book -

Said Jesus, blessed be his name, "Do unto others as you would they should do unto you." Said Buddha, blessed be his name as well, He who would, may reach the utmost height - but he must be eager to learn." If we do not quote the other religions on these points, it is because their words would be redundant.