The film was created as a shorter version of the 1955 American documentary Altars of the East.

[1] Throughout the documentary, the film features the religious practices and locations of global religions while providing interviews.

[2] Actor Lew Ayres claimed he was inspired to create a film about world religions in the mid-1950s after having a religious experience with God.

[3] An additional two years of filming was conducted in the mid-1970s after Ayers chose to create a shorter version of Altars of the East in 1973.

[7] On the other hand, Ferrier's colleague Clarke Fountain felt The Eastern Religions would be useful for viewers studying religious similarities but not for others learning about Christian based faiths.