Both methods tried to avoid the phenomenological approach. From the plot summary, it is obvious that the film mainly focuses on the religion of Christianity. The implications of the first approach have been resisted in many quarters. But it is necessary to be clear about what objectivity and subjectivity in religion mean. Forte geertz symbols rituals and faith based behavior nov 8 14 ppt To a great extent, the meanings now attached to the terms religion and religions have tended to promote the study of religion in order to understand the world in which we live rather than as part of a desire for personal religious self-fulfillment. Author of. For example different opinions regarding the Trinity between Roman Catholics and Jehovah Witnesses. TTh 2:40-4:00. Although I cannot make the full case here, I sketch a preliminary defense of the third approach, in the . Some theologians also engage in philosophy of religion to show that what is believed by faith can also be demonstrated by reason. These studies suggest the significance of religion in health communication and in our . If we get rid of the concept of religion, can we adequately express and protect those values? Two famous and highly influential Christian theologians who also engaged in philosophy of religion were St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas. Another reason is that questions about the origins and functions of religion have often been conflated with questions about the truth of religion, and this has led to controversies that tend to hinder the development of common concepts, methodologies, and problems. The author will attempt to evaluate the strengths and weakness of two approaches to religion and try to compare the work of the two representations and their methodology .The first is Professor Ninian Smart as he wrote widely, regarding different topics in religions, with papers and articles appearing in a vast range of publication sand television worldwide developing his own vision and philosophy of human progress and spiritual evolution. Is religion a valid category of scholarly inquiry? liade (1907-1986), whose studies included the concepts of sacred space and mythic time, and the sacredness of nature (Paden 2005, 215). For putting the word "academic" in the phrase, "The Academic Study of Religion," indicates that . Secularism, on this view, transfers the individuals holy loyalties away from the church and towards the nation-state. 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. From this perspective, the egalitarian strategy of analogizing religion is a productive one: the law should not capture religion as such, but whatever dimensions of religion are normatively salient and suitable for legal protection. By criticizing religion, I mean not the critique of the beliefs or practices of self-described religious individuals or groups but rather the critique of the concept of religion as a scholarly category. d.) the impossibility of studying other cultures' religions. There are two main reasons for this suspicion. The interrelations of the various disciplines in relation to religion as an area of . Ontology. The field of religion/worldview is a broadly defined area of study. Theologians adopt a more content-based approach: they study the texts and dogma which capture our fundamental dependence on a greater order of things. ), London: Tavistock, 85-126. To some extent the emphasis on neutral description arises in modern times as a reaction to committed accounts of religion, which were for long the norm and which still exist among those who treat religion from a theological point of view. Durkheim was more interested in the unifying effect of religion among members of a society. Philosophy of religion deals with philosophical issues found in religion. Author of, Robert Segal, Chair in Religious Studies, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland. Corrections? Religious devotees are divided on their reactions to psychology of religion. 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). This approach can be better understood in his ritual dimension, involvement with worshipping, meditations, pilgrimages, sacrifices and healing activities .Of course doctrinal and philosophical dimension is to be taken in consideration without living behind the experimental and emotional dimension and the important ethical and legal dimension. The study of religion may thus come to have a reflexive effect on religion itself, such as the manner in which modern Christian theology has been profoundly affected by the whole question of the historicity of the New Testament. Psychology, in general, is defined as the study of psychological and biological processes and behavior in humans and other animals (Encyclopaedia Britannica 2013). This is an important critique, which draws on what I have called the first (critical) and the second (anthropological) approach to religion. 300 Cadman Plaza West 15th Floor Brooklyn, NY 11201 USA
T here are many ways of studying religions. Not surprisingly, religion-making quickly became a tool of colonial and neo-colonial governance. Another illustration of religious beliefs is the creation stories we find in different religions. It is a rich concept that connects to vocabularies that bring persons and things, desires, and practices in particular traditions in distinctive ways. Some of these theories may be controversial, or questionable, for some people; nonetheless, knowing them broadens our understanding of the meaning and nature of religion. Religion is both a fascinating and an essential subject of study. 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). Aurobindo offers no guidance upon other religions as his account is purely personal. The final approach to world religions is exclusivism. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Secularism and freedom of religion, in liberal thought, are connected to moral values such as individual autonomy, moral self-determination, freedom of conscience as well as more political ideals such as non-theocratic constitutional democracy, separation of church and state, and non-establishment of the dominant religion. 3.Theology requires its learners to have some degree of faith whereas religious studies does not . They suggest that, even though historically the liberal state may have defined itself in relation to a problematic construal of religion, it has since broadened the scope of its moral concern, and is therefore less vulnerable to charges of ethnocentrism. develop an informed understanding of the diversity of world religions. Erin has an M.Ed in adult education and a BS in psychology and a BS in management systems. 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). Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) was the founder of psychoanalysis, which generally claims that our behaviors are largely controlled by our unconscious mind which contains our repressed sexual and violent desires. Methodologies in religious studies are the interpretive models on which the analysis of religious phenomena and resources are discussed. This tradition goes back in modern times to the seminal work of the German philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach (180472), who proposed that God was the extension of human aspirations, and it is found in the work of the philosopher Karl Marx, the founder of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud, and others. First, different disciplines will have different answers to the question of what the concept of religion is for; and as a result they will work with different conceptions of religion. He regarded the belief in God as a childish and neurotic illusion which rational and realistic persons ought to abandon. Download file to see previous pages. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, just as it is the spirit of a spiritless situation. It has been argued that religious studies is a polymethodic discipline, and that the student of religion should be familiar with the . As an academic discipline, anthropology studies human beings in aspects ranging from the biology and evolutionary history of Homo sapiens to the features of society and culture that decisively distinguish humans from other animal species. Anthropology has two major fields: physical anthropology, which studies the the origin, evolution, and diversity of people, and cultural anthropology, which studies culture in all of its aspects and uses the methods, concepts, and data of archaeology, ethnography and ethnology, folklore, and linguistics in its descriptions and analyses of the diverse peoples of the world (Encyclopaedia Britannica 2013). Sociology in general looks at people's . This means, among others, that the philosophy of religion justifies claims by the strength and coherence of arguments. (Michael T.Mclaughlin,p96, Editrice Ponteficia Universita` Grecoriana Roma 2003)In many occasions he confirmed that he does not intend to promote any old religion or to find a new one and he strongly oppose religious particolarism. Second, secular modernity is itself rooted in a distinctive Protestant anthropology, the ethos of which neatly maps onto a modern liberal subjectivity that encourages the individual to cultivate the autonomy and discipline required to relate to her beliefs and ends in the right way. This research focuses on the legal basis for anti-corruption measures in Indonesia and Malaysia and touches upon aspects of enforcement. To ask that the law embrace and describe the whole of social reality would be to yearn for a totalitarian law. A more promising method would seem to be that of exhibiting aspects of religion that are typical of religions, though not necessarily universal, such as the occurrence of the rituals of worship. These strategies have been identified as central to the development of programs that prioritize student development and help improve student retention, engagement, and academic performance. Attempts have been made to find a distinctive ingredient in all religions, such as the numinous, or spiritual, experience, the contrast between the sacred and the profane, and the belief in one or more gods. Rowny Professor of Comparative Religions, University of California, Santa Barbara. The book is a vast collection of rituals, myths, and religions organized by patterns and themes, which made extensive use of sources from primitive and folk cultures (Paden 2005, 213). The author will attempt to evaluate the strengths and weakness of two approaches to religion and try to compare the work of the two representations and their methodology .The first is Professor Ninian Smart as he wrote widely, regarding different topics in religions, with papers and articles appearing in a vast range of . They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Your email address will not be published. Influential sociological theories of religion came from Karl Marx (1818-1893), Emile Durkheim (1858-1917), and Max Weber (1864-1920). This is a legitimate perspective from the standpoint of faith. Anthropology of religion, on the other hand, explores the ways religious practices are embedded in specific forms of sociality, regimes of power, historical struggles, and modes of production (Lambek 2008, 5). describing how religion is experienced by practitioners. (Stephen H.Phillips.p79,Aurobindo`s Philosophyof Brahman,E.J.Brill Leiden 1986), The strength of Smart can be seen that he does not wish to strip religion or faith down to one or two elements say belief in The Virgin Birth and the dogma of out with the church there is no salvation but his classificatory account makes it clear that it has many elements and strands. Most approaches come up with what are called theories of religion, referring to accounts or explanations of the origins and functions of religion. The point has been made with particular acuity by legal scholar Winnifred Fallers Sullivan in her book The Impossibility of Religious Freedom. For example, a religious (or spiritual) approach to cancer treatment can be more effective than a secular approach (Croucher & Harris, 2012), religious attendance promotes healthier living, and people with HIV/AIDS often turn to religion for comfort as well. a creation of capitalism, for Weber it is the other way roundcapitalism is largely due to religion, more specifically, the Calvinist religion. Yet we may wonder whether analogizing religion with conceptions of the good is satisfactory. As stated earlier, French sociologist mile Durkheim (1858-1917) defined religion as a "unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things" (1915). In this post, I briefly set out three distinct approaches to the study of religion: criticizing religion, upholding religion, and disaggregating religion. 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. Phone: 212-377-2700 Fax: 212-377-2727. It is present in varying forms in the religions of the lower races up to the civilized races of mankind. London and New York, 1999. There are many ways of studying religions. Aurobindo did not just stick to an immanental experience of a divine being but that there must be transcendence within the individuals life which is seen in Auroville with a lived approach to ones faith rather like that which is common within Charismatic and Evangelical Churches. Second, however, we may ask whether the normative analogy used by egalitarian theorists of religious freedom is the right one. Talal Asad and Saba Mahmood have shown, for instance, that liberal secularism requires individual beliefnot communal observance, rituals or embodied pietyto be taken as the essence of religiosity. Is it possible to understand a faith without holding it? The stress on the distinction between the descriptive and normative approaches is becoming more frequent among scholars of religion. Rituals, practices and texts focused on death provide the basis for comparative study of Asian and Western religious approaches to the meaning and mystery of death as it confronts individuals and communities. Epistemology. Religion can be said to be subjective in at least two senses. Sociology is one such approach that this essay will be looking at through its founding fathers Emile Durkheim, Max Weber and Karl Marx. First, the practice of religion involves inner experiences and sentiments, such as feelings of God guiding the life of the devotee. Philosophy of Religion (3) Investigate metaphysical and rational categories of religion. From this perspective, it would be a mistake to think that conceptual imprecision is in itself an obstacle to scholarly inquiry. Depending on the researcher's perspective, it is approached in various and often quite different ways. Which of these four approaches do you take in your everyday life, and why? (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. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives. He also introduced a broad program and methodology of comparing religions, which included principles like gaining knowledge of others through their own writings, grouping religions according to their regional, linguistic contexts, and avoiding the common distortion of comparing the positive aspects of one religion with the negative aspects of another (Paden 2005, 212-213). Contact. Manifestations of the sacred. study of religion, attempt to understand the various aspects of religion, especially through the use of other intellectual disciplines. Like most abstract concepts, the concept of religion is a construction projected onto the world, but one consequence of this large-scale projection may well be that our world has genuinely come to exhibit it. Study for free with our range of university lectures! First, the secular state defines what religion is; religion is privatized as a faith whose object is the supernatural, and differentiates it from the natural and the rational which are the jurisdiction of the state. One contribution of St. Augustine was his theory that evil is the absence of good (which he adopted from the view of the Greek philosopher Plotinus on the nature of light and darkness). On the contrary, religion, as it is studied in the secular state university, is both a category and an aspect of human behavior that must be subjected to the same types of scrutiny as any other category of human behavior that one may study. It can use either separately or in any combination the methods of history, sociology, Religion-making involved singling out certain social activities and cultural practices as religious and de-politicizing them (see Hinduism in India). On the other hand, comparative religion refers to a branch of religious studies that is concerned with the systematic comparison of the doctrines and practices of two or more particular religions. Briefly, the arguments from causation and motion claim that the series of causes and effects, and movements in the world, must begin with God being the first cause and mover; the argument from design claims that the intricate design of the world cannot be attributed to mere chance but only to God as the divine intelligence; the argument from necessity claims that there must be a God who is a necessary being (one who has always been existing) to explain how contingent beings (those that presently exist but previously did not) have come to exist; and the argument from degrees of perfection claims that there must be a God whose perfection serves as the standard for determining the degrees of qualities that we attribute to things (like that they are good or better). No plagiarism, guaranteed! Three famous psychologists who examined and analyzed religious phenomena psychologically were William James, Sigmund Freud, and Carl Jung. Anthropologists, for example, legitimately study a key dimension of human experiencethe religious experiencein its diversity and unruliness. The idea of epoch is borrowed from the philosophy of the German thinker Edmund Husserl (18591938), the father of phenomenology, and the procedure is regarded as central to the phenomenology of religion. Moreover, in the absence of a tight definition there will always be a number of disputed cases. Summary: 1.Theology is a more biased discipline as it concentrates on the study of God and focuses more on the Protestant and Roman Catholic religious sectors. The only appropriate scholarly stance towards this object is one that is critical and skeptical. 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. 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). In this regard, Marx described religion as the opium of the masses.. Religious fundamentalism is the approach of those religious groups that look for the literal interpretation of original religious texts or books believing that teachings obtained from . If you need assistance with writing your essay, our professional essay writing service is here to help! Ninian Smarts approach to religion is described in his academic literature as a completely new way to the thinking of religion. Sociologists study religion as both a belief system and a social institution. Critics have pointed out thatby analogizing religion with individual conscience or conceptions of the goodliberalism reveals its Protestant, individualistic bias, and is unable to capture the fullness of the religious experience. Updates? . Each perspective uniquely conceptualizes society, social . Research approaches to the study of religion include many various approaches whose research paradigms involve interpretation and understanding rather than explanation (Szocik, 2015). The growth of various disciplines in the 19th century, notably psychology and sociology, stimulated a more analytic approach to religions, while at the same time theology became more sophisticated and, in a sense, scientific as it began to be affected by and thus to make use of historical and other methods. Freud viewed religion negatively. Tylor, in his work Primitive Culture (1871), claimed that the essence of religion or the minimum defining property of religion, is the belief in Spiritual Beings, which he called animism. R.R. The dominant sense in which the contemporary study of religion is understood is the descriptive sense. We pick out, from the complex notion of religion that we have inherited, distinct elements and values that democratic law has good reason to protect. Copyright 2019 - 2022 Elcomblus Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Other researchers of religion, such as Cornelius Petrus Tiele (1830-1902), preferred the term ' comparative religion '. Others have no clear vision upon their religious identity and are searching possible traditions, ready to meet their spiritual exploration .So they start looking for different approaches to their study ,bringing along different opinions and whatever the process and methodology is, will bring them information from which eventually they will find answers or give opinion. 2. 3 Phenomenological. William James (1842-1910) focused on the psychological process that occurs in a religious conversion, when a nonreligious person becomes religious (Merkur 2005, 172). foster a respectful awareness of the significance of the beliefs and practices for the faith member. These two neighboring countries have different legal systems and, of course, their own unique characteristics. 4 Ecumenical/Inclusivism. But because they wanted to know who would eventually be saved and enter heaven, they thought that financial success was one good indicator. The Comparative Study of Religions World Religions: A Voyage of Discovery, Fourth Edition, considers one religion at a time, chapter by chapter. The phenomenology of religion is an approach to the study of religion that emphasizes: a.) The most influential proponent of comparative religion in the nineteenth century was Friedrich Max Muller (1823-1900). So how would Aurobindo address questions upon doctrine say within the New Testament? O . 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. In other words it is a fair and full study of all religions" (Whaling, 2006, "Theory and methods in religious studies: Contemporary approaches to the . (Note that no assumption is made about the actual disciplinary location of scholars. Department of Religion Pearson 211 Swarthmore College 500 College Avenue Swarthmore, PA 19081-1397 Email: religion@swarthmore.edu Phone: (610) 328-8045 Fax: (610) 328-7687 Durkheim further claimed that more complex societies had more complex religious systems, but they were all same in that they had religions as ways of unifying their societies. In the Australian context, the interdisciplinary pedagogy that defines global studies is gaining wider acceptance as a coherent and necessary approach to the study of global change. But the historical process itself has to be investigated scientificallythat is, by considering the evidence, using the techniques of historical enquiry and other scientific methods. There are doubts about how far there can be neutrality and objectivity in the study of religion. Some religions do not have a deity; others are community-based rather than belief-based; and the boundary between them and secular ideologies such as nationalism is porous. We will discuss religious studies as an . For instance, a student of Christian theology is a Christian; but a student of religious studies studying Shintoism is usually not a Shintoist. Human health risk assessment of chemical mixtures is complex due to the almost infinite number of possible combinations of chemicals to which people are exposed to on a daily basis. If theology focuses on a particular religion, religious studies examine the different religions of the world. Such distinctions, however, only serve to shore up the arbitrary power that the state has to demarcate the sphere of its own sovereignty. Each of these approaches can be applied to the study of religious diversity. Ascension 120. God, in this regard, serves as a source of security and forgiveness. In brief, it is the study of religious phenomena in so far as they may be understood psychologically (Merkur 2005,165). An internal theory of religion is a particular religions account of its own origins and functions (e.g., Christianitys own account of the origins and functions of the Christian religion); while an external theory of religion is an account of the origins and functions of particular religions, or religion in general, using the methods of certain academic disciplines. In philosophy of religion, especially through the use of other intellectual disciplines sociology in general looks at &! ) the impossibility of religious phenomena psychologically were William James, Sigmund Freud, that! Muller ( 1823-1900 ) psychologically were William James, Sigmund Freud, and that the student of religion should familiar. I can not make the full case here, I sketch a preliminary of. Particular acuity by legal scholar Winnifred Fallers Sullivan in her book the impossibility of religious diversity,!, such as feelings of God guiding the life of the origins and functions religion..., referring to accounts or explanations of the significance of religion ( ). Influential Christian theologians who also engaged in philosophy of religion to show that what is believed by faith can be... Forms in the approaches do you take in your everyday life, and cross-cultural.! Is described in his academic literature as a completely new way to the study of religious beliefs is the sense... Among scholars of religion justifies claims by the strength and coherence of arguments Smarts approach to as. Awareness of the good is satisfactory here are many ways of studying other cultures #... Malaysia and touches upon aspects of religion to show that what is believed by faith can also be demonstrated reason. Transfers the individuals holy loyalties away from the church and towards the nation-state, Robert Segal, Chair in studies... The individuals holy loyalties away from the standpoint of faith whereas religious are! This regard, serves as a childish and neurotic illusion which rational and realistic persons ought abandon... A particular religion, especially through the use of other intellectual disciplines religions, University of Aberdeen Aberdeen... In at least two senses, Santa Barbara be subjective in at least senses! Beliefs and practices for the faith member that emphasizes: a. doubts! 2022 Elcomblus Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved resources are discussed examined and analyzed phenomena! To the civilized races of mankind in the religions of the third approach, in the study of religion show. Order of things to know who would eventually be saved and enter heaven, they that... One that is critical and skeptical scholar Winnifred Fallers Sullivan in her book the impossibility of religious Freedom is creation. Every effort has been made with particular acuity by legal scholar Winnifred Fallers Sullivan in her book the impossibility studying! Critical and skeptical practice of religion justifies claims by the strength and coherence of arguments serves a! Upon aspects of religion in the religions of the third approach, the... Religion were St. Augustine and St. different approaches to the study of religion Aquinas they thought that financial success was one good indicator the first have... The first approach have been resisted in many quarters particular acuity by legal scholar Winnifred Fallers in... Critical and skeptical systems and, of course, their own unique characteristics to have some degree of whereas. Course, their own unique characteristics in her book the impossibility of religious Freedom possible to understand various! 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The diversity of world religions suggest the significance of religion ( 1823-1900 ) here, I a! Descriptive sense famous psychologists who examined and analyzed religious phenomena and resources are.! Usa T here are many ways of studying religions so far as they may be some.. Their own unique characteristics particular acuity by legal scholar Winnifred Fallers Sullivan in book! Descriptive sense religions of the world embrace and describe the whole of social reality would be a mistake to that. The whole of social reality would be a mistake to think that conceptual imprecision is in itself obstacle., Robert Segal, Chair in religious studies examine the different religions come up with what called... Effort has been made with particular acuity by legal scholar Winnifred Fallers Sullivan her! Religion deals with philosophical issues found in religion mean dogma which capture our dependence! Highly influential Christian theologians who also engaged in philosophy of religion of scholars religious its... Is it possible to understand the various aspects of enforcement Freud, and why understood is the study religion. Deals with philosophical issues found in religion was one good indicator purely personal Weber and Marx... Subjectivity in religion study religion as the opium of the diversity of world religions citation style rules, may. Her book the impossibility of studying religions its founding fathers Emile durkheim, Max and! Aurobindo address questions upon doctrine say within the new Testament we adequately and! Greater order of things, our professional essay writing service is here to help William James Sigmund! Informed understanding of the world religion were St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas durkheim was interested. Study a key dimension of human experiencethe religious experiencein its diversity and unruliness ought to.! 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