Engaging and Interpreting Key Ideas in the World’s Great Religious Traditions
In this eight-week course, students will engage key ideas from the world’s religious traditions and interpret them through the lens of Huston Smith’s works and process philosophy using individual thought, curiosity, creativity, and spiritual growth.
Course Description
Huston Smith, author of The World’s Religions, was a renowned scholar who said that “wisdom traditions” had a simple role: to help us behave decently toward one another. He created award-winning documentaries on Hinduism, Sufism, and Tibetan Buddhism and was featured on Bill Moyers’ five-part PBS special “The Wisdom of Faith With Huston Smith.”
In this course, co-sponsored by Process & Faith and The Interfaith Center, we will put Smith’s work in dialogue with process thought. Each week, we will explore core concepts from a major world religion, guided by Smith’s timeless insights. Using Process Philosophy as a framework, we will examine how these traditions offer unique and complementary perspectives on ultimate reality, human purpose, and ethical living. Together, we will reflect on what these ideas mean for our own lives.
Course Outline
- Session 1: Introduction: Huston Smith and Process Philosophy
- Session 2: Hinduism: The Many Faces of the Divine
- Session 3: Buddhism: Impermanence and Interbeing
- Session 4: Confucianism & Daoism: Harmony in Relationships and Nature
- Session 5: Judaism: Covenant, Community, and Creativity
- Session 6: Christianity: Love, Grace, and Transformation
- Session 7: Islam: Surrender, Unity, and Beauty
- Session 8: The Mystical Thread & Your Own Path
“What a strange fellowship this is, the God seekers in every land, lifting their voices in the most disparate ways imaginable to the God of all life. How does it sound from above? Like bedlam, or do the strains blend in strange ethereal harmony? Does one faith carry the lead or do the parts share in counterpoint and antiphony where not in full throated chorus?
We cannot know. All we can do is to listen carefully and with full attention to each voice in turn as it addresses the divine.”
-Huston Smith, The World's Religions
This course is for anyone curious about the world’s religions and interested in exploring their insights through a philosophical lens. Whether you are religious, spiritual-but-not-religious, or simply seeking deeper understanding, you are welcome.
Format
- Interactive discussions: Encouraging questions, dialogue, and mutual learning.
- Short readings and videos: Selected passages from Huston Smith’s works and supplementary materials on Process Philosophy.
- Reflective exercises: Journaling, meditative prompts, or creative activities to deepen personal engagement.
About the Instructor
Dr. Jay McDaniel, Professor Emeritus of World Religions at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. Dr. McDaniel specializes in process philosophy and theology, with extensive experience in world religions, spirituality, and ecology. A scholar and author of numerous books, including Gandhi’s Hope: Learning from Other Religions as a Path to Peace and Living from the Center: Spirituality in an Age of Consumerism, Dr. McDaniel is known for his engaging teaching style that encourages students to develop their own theological and spiritual perspectives.
Price
- Lifetime access to session recordings
- Receive early notification of future courses
- Watch live or follow your own schedule
- Interact with class members via private discussion forum
This course is made possible through a collaboration between friends.
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