CHOICE, May, 2002
"...presents alternatives for the study of religion; coherent structure and graceful presentation make it appealing to undergrads through faculty."
Book Description
How do we accept current scientific findings yet still find meaning in religious tradition? Henry Rosemont argues that the literal inaccuracies we find within religious traditions should not prevent us from accepting the larger truths that these religions convey.
The three Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, depict a universe that is rationally ordered, purposeful, and therefore explanatorily intelligible. In this light, Western science and philosophy can be seen as products of the Abrahamic tradition. On the other hand, the non-Abrahamic traditions focus less on explaining the world and more on providing direction for living in it. Rosemont is persuaded that the texts and narratives of the world’s religions can be read as collaborative rather than competitive, and by understanding other traditions we come to more deeply appreciate our own.
Huston Smith, the world’s foremost philosopher of comparative religion, provides a commentary.
About the author
Henry Rosemont Jr., a Reeves Distinguished Professor of the Liberal Arts at St. Mary’s College in Maryland, is the author of A Chinese Mirror and co-translator of The Analects of Confucius: A Philosophical Translation.
