On the other hand, some view it as a way of purifying religion from the idolatry or worship of human-made objects. The idea is that one who experiences financial success is blessed and is thus favored by God. Tylor cited the association of morality with animism which was little represented in the lower races but became an integral part of the religions ofthe civilized races. d.) the impossibility of studying other cultures' religions. Although there is still no agreement on this issue, the frontier between traditional religions and modern political ideologies remains a promising topic of study. Religion and 'The Study of Religions' has many approaches which try to investigate the core of what religion is and what it means to the people who practice it. APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF RELIGION WILLIAM E. ARNAL New York University has a religious studies program, but not a de- partment. (Peter Connolly,pp1-2Approche to the Study of Religion,Biddles L.T.D.) Religious beliefs, in particular, are only one sub-set of a larger class, which political philosophers, following John Rawls, call conceptions of the good. On this view, a liberal state protects, not only freedom of religion, but more generally freedom of conscience; it disestablishes, not only dominant religion, but also any controversial conception of the good. Durkheim was more interested in the unifying effect of religion among members of a society. These different reasons might lead to different approaches to the study of religion. TTh 2:40-4:00. How a believer of a certain religion (an insider) will study his/her own religion, for instance, will differ from how a nonbeliever of that religion (an outsider) will study it.Their motivations and methods will be different. Lesson Transcript. In this regard, Marx described religion as the opium of the masses.. the myths of a religion. New approaches to the study of religion: the cognitive, the biological, and the neurological. Three famous psychologists who examined and analyzed religious phenomena psychologically were William James, Sigmund Freud, and Carl Jung. As we examine the different disciplinal approaches to the study of religion, we shall briefly touch on some of the external theories of religion. Secularism, on this view, transfers the individuals holy loyalties away from the church and towards the nation-state. Different approaches to religion education have been in place for a long time or developed more recently to meet growing religious and cultural plurality in European countries and schools. Our academic experts are ready and waiting to assist with any writing project you may have. For Jung, religious experiences are manifestations of the archetypes in the collective unconscious in our own consciousness. Consequently, the systematic study of the doctrines of Buddhism and Hinduism, for instance, are respectively called Buddhist philosophy and Hindu philosophy, and not Buddhist theology and Hindu theology. This had led some scholars, such as Tim Fitzgerald and Naomi Goldenberg, to draw the radical conclusion that the category of religion should be simply abandoned. Ascension 120. The second ground for skepticism is that religion has served to define the western idea of the secular, and remains deeply entangled with it. Program design strategies. 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. It has emerged as the single most important means of communication for those interested in critical approaches to the study of religion. This article examines three anthropological theories explaining how religion has evolved and continues to evolve. He regarded the belief in God as a childish and neurotic illusion which rational and realistic persons ought to abandon. 2 Psychological. 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. Learn about sociologists . The concept exhibits a complex continuum of resemblances and differences. In sum, the anthropological objection urges us to take both ordinary language and ordinary experience seriously. 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. Here I focus on two objectionswhich, for ease of presentation, I call the anthropological and the normative objection. Yet the strategy of disaggregating religion has a further, more portentous implication for normative political theory. But nor does it reduce the normative inscription of religion in the law to a narrow (often ethnocentric) set of concerns and values. (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. Philosophy of religion tries to settle issues in religion solely by means of the human power of reasoning. In the literature, lived religion is treated variously as a term, a concept, an approach, and a field of studyor all of these. These theologians, through their works, systematically explain the main doctrines of their own respective religions. The works of both Sri Aurobindo and Ninian Smart shows two drastic and completely different approaches to religion. Mysticism. Carl Jung (1875-1961) was the founder of analytic psychology, the name given to Jungs psychological-therapeutic system which divides the unconscious mind into the personal and the collective. It is present in varying forms in the religions of the lower races up to the civilized races of mankind. For instance, a student of Christian theology is a Christian; but a student of religious studies studying Shintoism is usually not a Shintoist. The apologetic approaches to the study of religion is pro-religion in that it defends religion and attempts to prove that religion is true, right, or good. Conflict sometimes arises because the committed point of view is likely to begin from a more conservative stance, accepting at face value the scriptural accounts of events, whereas the secular historian may be more skeptical, especially of records of miraculous events. For egalitarian theorists of religious freedom (as I call them), there is nothing special about religion as such. Muller, an authority of Sanskrit (the classical religious language of India), urged that the study of religion should not be limited to the religions of the Mediterranean (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) and that the great religions of the East should also be seriously studied. Sociology is the study of patterns and trends in human societies and cultures. 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). So critics confuse an empirical inquiry (describing what religion is) with a normative inquiry (accounting for its status in the law). Each of these approaches can be applied to the study of religious diversity. There are doubts about how far there can be neutrality and objectivity in the study of religion. 4 Ecumenical/Inclusivism. 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). The journal is a very significant endeavor since, until we launched it, there was no journal in the study of religion that has focused exclusively on developing a critical approach. For this reason, let us examine the ideas of another pioneering anthropologist of religion, namely Edward Burnett Tylor (1832-1917). Items is a space for engagement with insights from the work of the Council and the social sciences. There are religions, however, in which even worship rituals are not central. 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. II. Evolutionary Approaches. 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. 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. These studies suggest the significance of religion in health communication and in our . How would a strategy of disaggregating religion help here? This idea led Calvinists to engage in activities that would increase their wealth, paving the way for the development of capitalism. The interrelations of the various disciplines in relation to religion as an area of . 3 Phenomenological. The term phenomenology also refers to the attempt to devise a typology, or classification, of religious phenomenareligious activities, beliefs, and institutions. For a Christian, Christ is the only way of salvation and the Bible is the only source of saving revelation today. 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. Aside from being exploited, the workers were also dehumanized or alienated in the workplace. 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. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Peter Connolly. APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF RELIGION 109 like, the students were asked to read Marx, Freud, Durkheim. Normative inquiries primarily concern the truth of religious claims, the acceptability of religious values, and other such normative aspects; descriptive inquiries, which are only indirectly involved with the normative elements of religion, are primarily concerned with the history, structure, and other observable elements of religion. 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. But because they wanted to know who would eventually be saved and enter heaven, they thought that financial success was one good indicator. The disaggregating approach helps us answer this critique. Erin has an M.Ed in adult education and a BS in psychology and a BS in management systems. 427-5290. adlerj@kenyon.edu. 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. Religion may be defined as "any set of attitudes, beliefs, and practices pertaining to supernatural power, whether that power be forces, gods, spirits, ghosts, or demons" (C. R. Ember, Ember, and Peregrine 2019, 500). As we examine the different disciplinal approaches to the study of religion, we shall briefly touch on some of the external theories of religion. It also depends heavily on the motives the researcher brings to his or her investigation of religious or worldview issues. Scholars do generally agree that the pursuit of objectivity is desirable, provided this stance does not involve the sacrifice of a sense of the inner aspect of religion. There are many different approaches to finding truth. In light of these considerations, our approach in examining the different world religions in the subsequent chapters mainly falls under religious studies. Continuum International publishing group .2006. Religion can be said to be subjective in at least two senses. 2 The closer a country comes to having equal shares of the . This approach teaches that there is only one true religion and only one way of salvation. It does this by examining the dynamics of the constituent parts of societies such as institutions, communities, populations, and gender, racial, or age groups (Encyclopaedia Britannica 2013). village and nad level bring in solidarity and unity among different social segments . 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). "Feminist Approaches." In Approaches to the Study of Religions, edited by Peter Connolly, pp. Given this, we, however, also use other approaches especially comparative religion and philosophy of religionwhich we will discuss next. 10. (Scott London ,the future of religion an Interview with Ninian Smart June 1999 issue ofThe Witnessmagazine. ) In fact, the religions of civilized races evolved from the animism of the lower races. 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). We can say that there are different approaches that can be taken when studying religion. The stress on the distinction between the descriptive and normative approaches is becoming more frequent among scholars of religion. Both methods tried to avoid the phenomenological approach. Registered office: Creative Tower, Fujairah, PO Box 4422, UAE. Introduces students to the study of religion, world religious traditions and ethics through an exploration of death and dying. In my opinion, the study of different approaches to the study and comprehension of religions is indeed an exciting and important topic. Sociologists today employ three primary theoretical perspectives: the symbolic interactionist perspective, the functionalist perspective, and the conflict perspective. Religion and 'The Study of Religions' has many approaches which try to investigate the core of what religion is and what it means to the people who practice it. 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). The belief in the soul as something separate from the body though residing in the body resulted from dealing with certain biological questions such as those concerning the difference between a living body and a dead one; the causes of waking, sleep, trance, disease, and death; and the origin of dreams and visions involving human images. Describe a friend, acquaintance, or relative whose approach to religion is different than yours. In this . A criticism of Aurobindos view may be seen that it seeks to remain within religion itself, similar to that of Smart as they both emphasise the importance of the experience of religion, a personal contact with God or Gods, however within Marxism we can see a move away from this religious experience. Certain attempts at a functionalist definition of religion, such as that of the German American theologian Paul Tillich (18861965), who defined religion in terms of human beings ultimate concern, would leave the way open to count these ideologies as proper objects of the study of religion (Tillich himself called them quasi-religions). Study for free with our range of university lectures! From this perspective, it would be a mistake to think that conceptual imprecision is in itself an obstacle to scholarly inquiry. Thus in principle it is the study of all religions from a viewpoint not isolated within any one of them. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of UKEssays.com. 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. 2. Looking for a flexible role? He illustrate the introduction of Phenomenology saying, a lot of opinions have been written about not only the physical interchange of races but;, also ethnical and cultural, and especially upon values, so what take place when religions and their tradition convene? 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. *You can also browse our support articles here >. Sociology is one such approach that this essay will be looking at through its founding fathers Emile Durkheim, Max Weber and Karl Marx. Such distinctions, however, only serve to shore up the arbitrary power that the state has to demarcate the sphere of its own sovereignty. There are two main reasons for this suspicion. Rowny Professor of Comparative Religions, University of California, Santa Barbara. ( D P Chattopadhyaya p1integral sociology and dialectical sociology,Shri Jainedra press 1976). Phenomenology or Religion (3) Study of consciousness and experiences. . Historiography then becomes the science that studies the conceptions and production of historical interpretations of human civilization. The worry here is the hard-won liberal right to religious freedom will not elicit much respect if the existence of religion itself is radically questioned. The findings that focus on the scientific study of religion, including the SSSR and the SSR units within the AAR, are especially highlighted, as are contrasts between sociological and psychological approaches in the academic study of religion. Accordingly, Calvinists believed in predestination, the view that God has already decided on who will enter heaven or not. 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. The belief in the soul as something separate from the body though residing in the body resulted from dealing with certain biological questions such as those concerning the difference between a living body and a dead one; the causes of waking, sleep, trance, disease, and death; and the origin of dreams and visions involving human images. Theologians adopt a more content-based approach: they study the texts and dogma which capture our fundamental dependence on a greater order of things. The field of religion/worldview is a broadly defined area of study. Most of the major thinkers recognized in this area are also those recognized in the sociology of religion like Durkheim and Weber. The point has been made with particular acuity by legal scholar Winnifred Fallers Sullivan in her book The Impossibility of Religious Freedom. Another illustration of religious beliefs is the creation stories we find in different religions. We will discuss religious studies as an . 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. 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. The Hijab Controversy in Political Philosophy (Oxford University Press 2008). Religion should be disaggregated into a number of different values which relate to the law of the liberal state in different ways. Other researchers of religion, such as Cornelius Petrus Tiele (1830-1902), preferred the term ' comparative religion '. Contact. 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). The normative objection is slightly different. In his own words: Man is on a transitorily passage . Nor does the origin of a concept in itself discredit its uses: the concept may well have been forged in the crucible of missionary and colonial encounters, but its meanings and uses have further proliferated in non-colonial and post-colonial settings, in ways that escaped, distorted, and subverted the original discourse. We can confirm that the method of study that Smart used in his approach comprehend both external and internal analysis of religion, characterized by phenomenological perspectives. Approaches to Studying Religion (three courses): Three courses, one in each area, covering more than one major religious tradition; level II or level III courses may be used to fulfill this requirement; a general education course in . Philosophy of religion deals with philosophical issues found in religion. 3.Theology requires its learners to have some degree of faith whereas religious studies does not . 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