Huston Smith wrote the best seller “The World's Religions” (book 17). He also did a 5-part PBS special on religions with Bill Moyers. Smith is an internationally recognized expert, having spent his life learning Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and the “Chinese Religious Complex.” (For his books I've read, click on his name.)

This book is in 2 parts – Part 1 covers the last several decades of science-religion issues; he says our misreading of science has put us in a “tunnel” due to our media, universities and law ignoring the spiritual life. There was little new for me in Part 1, with which I fully agreed. But Part 2 is a very insightful building of a worldview that has science and spirit in a proper relationship. He writes very clearly, using simple language. He brings the world’s major religions together in an amazing way (in his Fig 2) and relates the 4 levels of Fig 2 to 4 religious personalities – atheist, polytheist, monotheist, and mystic. I found the last few chapters both fascinating and inspiring. However, there are some parts in which his limited knowledge of physics, especially special relativity and light, led him to say things that are essentially meaningless - more "poetic" than real. But this has little impact on the general multicultural and broad religious views that are what make this book so very powerful and insightful. His essential "convergence" of the world's religions is especially well done. In this he has great credibility since he has lived in and absorbed the essential truths of many of the world's faiths. Huston Smith was my main inspiration to write book reviews (in spite of my being able to use only my thumbs in typing). That's why this review was my first. I hope his worldview will excite you as much as it did me!