different approaches to the study of religiondifferent approaches to the study of religion

If it is not possible, then cross-religious comparisons would mostly break down, for normally it is not possible to be inside more than one religion. For the last four decades universities and schools have been acting in response to a constant , steady demand for courses upon the study of religion .The people who take these courses are usually involved in religion themselves ,many are involved a in religious communities or, wishing to know more and . The purpose of this course is to introduce and examine a variety of methodological approaches to the study of religion. A standard line of criticism against this egalitarian strategy has been to argue that it rests on a contested understanding of religion. This approach is known as comparative religion. by Ccile Laborde February 5, 2014. This decline is accompanied by a rise in the share of U.S. adults who say they seldom or never attend religious services (from 27% in 2007 to 30% in 2014). And the best- known scholar of comparative religion of the last generation was Mircea Eliade (1907-1986), whose studies included the concepts of sacred space and mythic time, and the sacredness of nature (Paden 2005, 215). The term theology, though often used to refer to Christian theology, also applies to the systematic study of the other monotheistic religions, standardly referring to Judaism and Islam. This idea led Calvinists to engage in activities that would increase their wealth, paving the way for the development of capitalism. Also we can see the beliefs, symbolim and teachings of Auroville fitting weel within the above detailed classifacations of Smarts dimensions of religion. One of the many reasons for this failure is that each discipline enlisted to study religion has its own distinctive methods and topics, and scholars often disagree about how to resolve the inevitable conflicts between these different intellectual perspectives. Since becoming aware of our unconscious makes us a whole person (a fully realized Self), religion is thus seen by Jung as something positive (Merkur 2005, 177). Manifestations of the sacred. We may conclude saying that maybe religions will never combine in to one global faith ,but we do think that the society is moving towards a global ideology that have a space for religion and identify the contributions of the diverse ethnicity and traditions and bring a new way in helping us to work together for the support of human values and spirituality. Thus in principle it is the study of all religions from a viewpoint not isolated within any one of them. Within religious studies there are three common methodologies: Philosophy of Religion ( Phenomenology ), the study of . Thus, the bracketing means forgetting about beliefs of ones own that might endorse or conflict with what is being investigated. Nigerias 2023 Elections: Which Way Democracy? If we get rid of the concept of religion, can we adequately express and protect those values? Transcribed image text: To address the following questions, consider the four approaches to religion described in the introduction to this module exclusivism, inclusivism, pluralism and empathetic interest in other people. Study for free with our range of university lectures! Durkheim was more interested in the unifying effect of religion among members of a society. As stated earlier, French sociologist mile Durkheim (1858-1917) defined religion as a "unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things" (1915). Egalitarian theorists of religious freedom, from this perspective, are right to seek to identify the normative grounds on which certain beliefs and practices call for state protection (or state restraint, in the case of non-establishment). We've received widespread press coverage since 2003, Your UKEssays purchase is secure and we're rated 4.4/5 on reviews.co.uk. It is a childish illusion for, as Freud remarked, religion originates in the helplessness and anxiety of childhood and early manhood (quoted in Merkur 2005,166). Psychology, in general, is defined as the study of psychological and biological processes and behavior in humans and other animals (Encyclopaedia Britannica 2013). A number of specific program design strategies increase the possibility that students of all backgrounds will have positive . Consider an analogy with marriage. Animism consists of the belief in immortal souls, gods, and other spiritual beings. Much of the interesting work done in anthropology, sociology, and religious studies departments, for example, draws on both the first and the second approach). Yet the strategy of disaggregating religion has a further, more portentous implication for normative political theory. For egalitarian theorists of religious freedom (as I call them), there is nothing special about religion as such. The distinction, however, is not an absolute one, for, as has been noted, descriptions of religion may sometimes incorporate theories about religion that imply something about the truth or other normative aspects of some or all religions. Sociologists today employ three primary theoretical perspectives: the symbolic interactionist perspective, the functionalist perspective, and the conflict perspective. But perhaps we should apply to religion something like Ludwig Wittgensteins theory of family resemblance. In Marrett's view, the first form of religion was a belief in an ever-present and ubiquitous force that gave power to all elements of life (Durkheim 203). According to a number of scholars (often influenced by Foucauldian or post-colonial thought), the category of religion is deeply implicated in the history and practice of western statism and imperialism. The new scientific study of religion knows basically three main strands, quite connected with one another and often complementary, but each sometimes following its own paths: the cognitive-psychological; the biological-evolutionist; and the . There are many ways of studying religions. Since becoming aware of our unconscious makes us a whole person (a fully realized Self), religion is thus seen by Jung as something positive (Merkur 2005, 177). Download file to see previous pages. a creation of capitalism, for Weber it is the other way roundcapitalism is largely due to religion, more specifically, the Calvinist religion. No plagiarism, guaranteed! Religious studies, also known as the study of religion, is an academic field devoted to research into religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. Ontology. Human biomonitoring (HBM) approaches can provide inter alia information on the chemicals that are in our body at one point in time. Still another difference is that while theology limits itself to its own internal theory of religion (its own account for its origins and functions), religious studies considers external theories of religion (accounts of the origins and functions of religion by other academic disciplines). The modern sovereign state is grounded in a distinctive political theology that mobilizes the structural categories of metaphysics and theology to bolster and consolidate the higher identity of secular citizenship. The term phenomenology also refers to the attempt to devise a typology, or classification, of religious phenomenareligious activities, beliefs, and institutions. We're here to answer any questions you have about our services. We also study religion in order to learn more about how different aspects of human lifepolitics, science, literature, art, law, economicshave been and continue to be shaped by changing religious notions of, for example, good and evil, images of the deity and the divine, salvation and punishment, etc. For instance, a student of Christian theology is a Christian; but a student of religious studies studying Shintoism is usually not a Shintoist. The Immanent Frame publishes interdisciplinary perspectives on religion, secularism, and the public sphere. Let me get back to the starting point of our inquiry: Is religion a valid category of scholarly research? Program design strategies. She shows that the First Amendment Free Exercise clause is quite incapable of capturing the popular, unruly, ritualized religiosity that she sees at work in the baroque funerary displays in a Florida cemetery. Psychology of religion involves the application of psychological methods and interpretive frameworks to religious institutions, as well as to individuals of all religious or noreligious persuasions. How can we best identify and protect the normative values which historically have underpinned freedom of religion, non-establishment and the like? So how would Aurobindo address questions upon doctrine say within the New Testament? Here I focus on two objectionswhich, for ease of presentation, I call the anthropological and the normative objection. Even this cursory summary of this first approach is, I hope, sufficient to convey the force and depth of the critique of religion. For putting the word "academic" in the phrase, "The Academic Study of Religion," indicates that . (a) The Polymethodic Approach Polymethodicality, according to Smart, is the fact that the scientific study of religion employs a variety of methods to study religion. study of religion, attempt to understand the various aspects of religion, especially through the use of other intellectual disciplines. Related to Freuds concept, the personal unconscious mind contains all our personal experiences that we are not aware of (because we have suppressed them); whilethe collective unconscious mind contains universal experiences of mankind and the archetypes (the basic universal images that recur in various forms in different cultures) which we have inherited from our ancestors. The method used was to compare the subjective experience with the intent of shaping the arrangement of religion itself from within the structure. Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) defines religion as "a unified system of beliefs and Accordingly, Calvinists believed in predestination, the view that God has already decided on who will enter heaven or not. T here are many ways of studying religions. 1 Review. The study of religion emerged as a formal discipline during the 19th century, when the methods and approaches of history, philology, literary criticism, psychology, anthropology, sociology, economics, and other fields were brought to bear on the task of determining the history, origins, and functions of religion. Sullivan demonstrates that religion is too complex, too comprehensive, and too multi-faceted to be adequately captured by the law of the liberal state. Morgan, Sue. (Note that no assumption is made about the actual disciplinary location of scholars. Sociology in general looks at people's . Influential sociological theories of religion came from Karl Marx (1818-1893), Emile Durkheim (1858-1917), and Max Weber (1864-1920). The academic study of religion is an inherently interdisciplinary field, incorporating textual studies of the world's sacred texts, language studies, art, history, philosophy, anthropology, politics, economics, sociology, psychology, comparative literature and literary studies, cultural studies, gender and ethnic studies, legal studies, and . Attempt to understand the various aspects of religion among members of a society purpose of this course is introduce. People & # x27 ; s gods, and the conflict perspective we 're here answer! Viewpoint not isolated within any one of them that would increase their wealth, paving the for! Frame publishes interdisciplinary perspectives on religion, secularism, and the normative values which historically have underpinned freedom of.! How can we best identify and protect the normative objection inquiry: is religion a valid of! Was more interested in the unifying effect of religion itself from within the structure back to starting. 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