going over to the other side where I'll see all my friends. If I had done something for the Lord and added my name to it, I'd be ashamed to see them." The American Society for the Study of Religion (ASSR) was organized in 1959 by Edmund Perry, Morgan and Joseph Kitagawa. Academic reception Western scholars generally appreciated the "broadminded, sympathetic approach" that presented other religions through the perspective of each religion's own scholars. "Over the centuries, Hinduism has been subjected to being 'understood' by the Westerners who generally describe and judge Hindus and Hinduism by the Western standards... This is a perfect book for those who are curious about or want to study Hinduism from the Hindu point of view." Other academics found Morgan's approach too limiting because it rejects descriptions and analyses of a religion by scholars who are not practitioners of that religion. Morgan's own religious background is blamed for his position that a scholar's own religious background distorts his perspective on other religions. [Morgan] is convinced that only the word of scholars who are also insiders of a particular religious tradition is authoritative. In other words, the standard for valuing the accuracy of statements about any religion should be the experience and testimony of adherents. In this passionate plea for giving the word to the believers – and, consequently, refusing it to the non-believers – Morgan anticipates the celebrated (albeit highly disputed and disputable) argument raised by Wilfred Cantwell Smith (1916–2000) in an epoch-making article dated some years later: "No statement about a religion is valid unless it can be acknowledged by that religion's believers" (Smith 1959: 42 = 1976, 46). Definitely, it is no coincidence that both Morgan and Smith were adherent to a broadly ecumenical Protestant vision – the former having been brought up in a Methodist, Wesleyan milieu, the latter in a Presbyterianism converging into the United Church of Canada. Bibliography Materials that Kenneth W. Morgan wrote, edited, photographed or arranged to be published: The Religion of the Hindus Edited by Kenneth W. Morgan ©1953 Ronald Press, New York (1953); LCC: 53-10466 ; reprinted by Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, Delhi (1987, 1996); ISBN (Hardbound): 81-2080387-6, ISBN (Paperback): 81-2081383-9, Google Books Religious Music of India recorded by Alain Daniélou for the National Council for Religion in Higher Education, ©1952 Folkways Records and Service Corp.; Ethnic Folkways Library, Folkways Records FW04431 (original 1950s vinyl release: FE4431;