ABSTRACT
Smith discusses three periods of human life: the traditional, modern, and postmodern ages. He suggests that the modern age has given us science while the postmodern age gives us concern for justice, but only the traditional age that preceded both of them has given us a worldview. Four major world religions Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism make up a total of about six percent of the total US adult population. Websites are available for information about the religious holidays of virtually every known religion. Several concepts are addressed in many religious groups that are pertinent to spirituality, including suffering, gratitude, wilderness experiences, mountaintop experiences, sin and repentance, karma, stewardship, social justice, death, afterlife, reincarnation, and faith. Three major religious groups, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, focus attention on sin and its alleviation. Pluralism that is described and encouraged to enhance greater mutual understanding among groups and to discover many of the ways that religious groups are similar in belief and practices.
