Dimensions of the Sacred: An Anatomy of the World's Beliefs

by Ninian Smart

A world-renowned religion scholar explores the world's major religions and comparable secular systems of thought in this unusually wide-ranging and accessible work. Ninian Smart considers Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Shintoism, as well as Marxist-Leninism, Maoism, nationalism, and Native American, African, and other systems of belief. His goal is to advance our understanding of how we as human beings interact thoughtfully with the cosmos and express the exigencies of our own nature and existence.

Smart demonstrates that diverse systems of belief reflect several recurring themes: the tendency to worship, the contemplative life, story-telling, a view of history, ethical instruction, guidelines on bodily practices, rituals, and visual icons. He examines each of these themes in relation to specific belief systems. He points out that religions and comparable worldviews should be studied at least as much through their practices as through their beliefs.

The result of twenty-five years of research, this comprehensive book is nothing less than an analysis of the entire pattern of human spiritual life, viewed through what Smart calls "the grammar of symbols, the modes and forms in which religion manifests itself."

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction

360 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ninian Smart is one of the fathers of the secular study of religion. His approach is phenomenological. This book presents his taxonomy of religion. It was based on his original work that was presented in The Religious Experience of Mankind. He added a dimension (now 7 instead of 6). Unfortunately the student doesn't agree with the teacher. Smart tried to shoehorn modern ideological movements (i.e. Marxism) into the same religious categories. I disagree with him on that point. Other than that, it is an excellent methodology for describing what religion is and comparing religions.

Smart was not an essentialist like Huxley and Huston Smith, who viewed that mysticism was the core of religion. Smart said that was merely one dimension which may be emphasized (Theravada Buddhism) or deemphasized (Sunni Islam).

His basic dimensions are:

Ritual - religions have prescribed activities (intersects with Experiential in the case of meditation)
Doctrinal - religions have theology
Mythological - religions have stories
Experiential - the numinous (mystical) experience
Social - religions regulate society through institutions
Ethical - religions regulate relations between people

and he added in this volume:

Material - religion produces artifacts (art, architecture, etc.)

[Desytiovanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

j