Huston Smith offers his passionate, vital message about the suffocation of the human spirit in a world dominated by materialism, consumerism, educational elitism, and a governmental and legal system without morality. Despite the widespread opinion that these are halcyon days for religion, Smith shows how current popular spiritual trends merely mask a deeper disease. In the tradition of Stephen Carter's THE CULTURE OF DISBELIEF, this compelling social critique probes the three major historical periods - traditional modern and postmodern - that have brought us to our current spiritual crisis. Illustrated with stories from Huston Smith's personal experience and encounters with many of the leading scientific and religious thinkers of our time, WHY RELIGION MATTERS is a highly original and thought-provoking read that will generate debate for years to come.