The Meaning and End of Religion

By Wilfred Cantwell Smith

Book Overview

Wilfred Cantwell Smith, maintained in this vastly important work that Westerners have misperceived religious life by making "religion" into one thing. He shows the inadequacy of "religion" to capture... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B00005WEMV
• Release Date: January 1964
• Publisher: New American Library
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.48 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Must in Religious Studies

There are two books that you must read in order to understand the modern study of religions: The Sacred and the Profane by Mircea Eliade and The Meaning and End of Religion by Wilfred Cantwell Smith. It is not that the theories that these two books espouse are universally accepted amongst the scholarly community. In fact, both draw heavy criticism. However, both are extraordinarily influential on the study itself. They represent the two major schools of thought in the early 20th century: The Chicago style (Eliade) and the Harvard style (Smith). More specifically, Smith offers a shocking view of studying religion and what religion is in the first place. Whether or not you completely agree with it, Smith will give you quite a bit to think about.