Why Religion Matters: The Fate of the Human Spirit in an Age of Disbelief

by Huston Smith

Hardcover, 2000

Status

Available

Call number

200

Genres

Religion & Spirituality

Publication

HarperOne (2000), Edition: 1, 304 pages

Description

Huston Smith, the author of the classic bestseller The World's Religions, delivers a passionate, timely message: The human spirit is being suffocated by the dominant materialistic worldview of our times. Smith champions a society in which religion is once again treasured and authentically practiced as the vital source of human wisdom.

User reviews

LibraryThing member fingerpost

Huston Smith is one of the most recognized experts on religion in the United States, and so I was saddened to find that his writing style annoyed me so much. I grew SO weary of phrases like, "blah blah blah as I demonstrated in chapter three..." or "I will discuss blah blah blah in depth when we

get to chapter seven, so I will only mention it in brief now."

I can't really say I "liked" the book, because of this and other stylistic issues I had trouble getting past. However, he gave me much food for thought - most of it digestible. I suppose I agreed with about 70% of his arguments, and disagreed with about 15%. The remaining 15% was made up of discussions on either science or metaphysics which were so technical for their fields that I had no idea what he was even talking about.

I believe very strongly that religion matters. I agree with his overall premise that we make a terrible mistake when we allow "worship" of science to replace worship of God - regardless of one's religion. I just don't think his book expressed this in the best possible way.

Instead, I would recommend chapters 10 and 11 of Abraham Joshua Heschel's "God in Search of Man". These two chapters say in 20 or so pages much of what Smith says in 275 pages, only much more eloquently.

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LibraryThing member Library_Lin

Huston Smith was a brilliant thinker on religious topics. His honesty and piercing insights help you see that what has become a tired topic for many deserves not only a second look but a central place in our collective psyche.

I left Evangelical Christianity over a decade ago because of the peer

pressure to conform in behavior and political belief. While I haven't missed going to church, I have missed the feeling of a close connection to the transcendent. Smith helped me understand what I had lost in turning my back on religion.

While I am unlikely to ever return to a specific church, he provided ample evidence that there is room for me at the table of Mystery, Truth, and the Spirit as I comprehend it. I'd recommend this book to anyone who feels their life is without meaning. As Smith points out, religious fanaticism has its dangers, but so does relativistic nihilism.

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LibraryThing member itheodore

Huston gives a thoughtful perspective on how "metaphysics" has become confused with "cosmology." Because science provides such a compelling cosmology, it has also become a world view, as if it can explain the meaning or origin of existence. The book takes pains to refer to a wide range of other

writers and thinkers, which can create a dizzying effect, but the general effect is compelling.

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