World's Religions, The (Plus)

Here the best of all religions is given. The core philosophies of the religion are given, and the author has made himself clear regarding it from the beginning. He has successfully brought out the beauty of all religions, and reading his work you will understand how all religions are similar in several respects. I hope all people will at least read this book before talking about religions in any forum. I have the Kindle version. It's good. There are no diagrams and pictures here, so a Kindle version will do just good.

THE PAPER QUALITY IS NOT GOOD .

A very good book, a must read for believers as well as non- believers of religions.

Nice Book!

The languge of the book is not easy to understand. And its not a book of comparative religion as the title suggests. Not good for acamedicians/students of comparative religion. The book gives you the undersatnding of worlds religions from authors pov rather than the sacred texts of the religions. An the author clearly tells that in the intro section but as usual AMAZON doesnt tells this in their product description.

Good coverage of the major religions of the world.

Nice Book...though it doesn't include many religions and its philosophy.

Well written and informative.

El libro llegó maltratado

This book is essential reading for all who wish to ground themselves in the basics of religions. Huston was also one of the participants in the Marsh Chapel Psilocybin experiment conducted by Walter Pahnke on Good Friday 1962. Huston didn't get the Placebo, and has stated that the experience was powerful and left a permanent mark on his expereinced world view. He had already written this book at the time. Read it for a really balanced insight into what makes the various religious persuasions tick!

I have been interested in religions for a long time. Doing my own religious journey through Christianity and Zen Buddhism. I thought I had achieved a level of understanding that gave me an overview of religions that was quite consistent and robust. This book blew my mind. He had super illuminating points about every religion. The book starts with quotations that while science make major contributions to minor [human] needs, it is religion that makes contributions, however small, to things that matter most. That the book is about religion that exists as acute fever not a dull habit. Hinduism chapter was the longest and one that surprised the most. There is a casual mention that Carl Jung was influenced by Hinduism in creating his (mbti) personality types. It mentions how Hinduism caters to different personality types in how people get to know God. One is a spiritual path based on love of God very much like Christianity. Another is a spiritual path of equal validity based on the dissolution of the mind to experience God very much like Zen Buddhism. The book quotes that there comes a time when one asks even of Shakespeare and Beethoven, is this all? The book also mentions that Hindus believe God to be one and universal, appearing in different forms to each group of people. This was good as it is something that I strongly believed without ever having had confirmation. The book was full of such revelations and confirmations as well as brand new insights that took my breath away. (I copied many extracts for easier access in the process learning for the first time that Kindle books have copy limits. Haha.) This book was very valuable to me.

My deep thinking husband loves philosophy and is self-taught on all the greats. Slogging through Nietzsche and Socrates is his idea of fun. He recently shifted into religions and has really been enjoying studying Asian and Indian religions. I bought him this book as a surprise present to give him more material to chew on. As I hoped, he LOVES it and has barely been able to put it down since I gave it to him a couple of days ago. Instead of giving a history lesson on how the major world religions came to be, this author focuses on the ways various religions attempt to satisfy the longings and concerns of the human soul. I chose this book because I like the author's focus on spiritual principles. I also like the fact that, like my husband, this author seems capable of recognizing and appreciating the kernels of Divine wisdom that all religions have to offer. Once you know who God is, you are able to see Him at work everywhere instead of getting stuck in the idea that there is only one "right" religion. My husband and I have come to the conclusion that there is no perfect religion--instead, they each have their strengths and shortcomings. I really enjoy hearing my husband's summaries of what he's gleaning from this book and would highly recommend for any serious thinkers who are open to seeing God working in a "big picture" kind of way. I also really like how this author discusses some of the less common religions in the final chapter of this book--that was a very nice bonus.

I am pleased to read a book on religions able to delve into the heart of the main religions with Smith's erudition and in-depth understanding. It's simplicity makes for great reading and understanding. However, there is one glaring fault. Although he examines the establishment of each religion with a detailed historical chronology, his discussion of Judaism relies solely on the chronology of Judaism as it is presented in Bible of which there is no record prior to the return of the Jews from captivity in Babylon - 562 BCE. This disconnect skewers his whole argument which gives a lot of credence to biblical myths obtained from other cultures and religions that predate the Bible by thousands of years.