Studying religion helps you understand different cultures. Still, the comparative study of religions is vital, and it becomes increasingly so as our global community becomes ever more tightly knit. However, the study of christianity in africa has, over the years, used a vanity of terms for african independent churches aics. Evolutionary anthropological approaches to the study of. The comparative study of religion offers an honors and a nonhonors track.
Approaches to the study of religion by peter connolly. Study of religion although we may have difficulty understanding the behaviors just described, it is not difficult to see them as expressions of religion. Media of naturalism and protectionism in the study of religions. The academic study of religion religious studies university of.
Religion is a major source of inspiration, meaning, and controversy in human culture, informing history, politics, economics, art, and literature. Welcome to religious studies religious studies ecu. We will discuss religious studies as an academic discipline, the phenomenology of religion, history of religion, the sociological and anthropological approaches. How religions contribute to the maintenance of social order. The study was conducted throughout malaysia involving male and female. Using precise and unambiguous labels has been particularly encouraged. The religionstate relationship and the right to freedom.
Study of religion st thomas more college, sunnybank. The role of religions in transnationalism and globalization. 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. While all cultures have religion, the behaviors these religions justify are astonishingly diverse and seem to challenge the notion that there could be any elements common to every religion. What part religions play in cultural and social transformation. This study analyzes the constitutional provisions currently in place concerning the relationship between religion and the state, freedom of religion or belief, and related human rights in predominantly muslim countries. Ordinarily, students wishing to combine religion as the primary field will do so in the context of option c. The academic study of religion emphasises the accurate description and naming of religious phenomena. The comparative study of religions was the title which wach chose originally for his barrows lectures in india in the autumn of 1952. In other words, it is our goal to provide students with the key elements of religious literacy.
Courses by comparative religion faculty cr 000601 philosophy of religion crosslisted as philosophy 0016 introduction to the philosophical analysis of major religious concepts, such as god, human nature, freedom of will, immortality, and the problem of evil, through a study of representative types of religious philosophies. Philosophical approaches to religion in the perspective of. If religion is a western concept that has been used to shore up the authority of the colonial and sovereign state, through shifting, arbitrary demarcations between religion tradition, culture, reason, and the nation, then scholars should be wary of treating it as a stable, coherent object of academic study. The comparative study of religion flashcards quizlet.
Drees,professor of philosophy of religion and ethics, leiden university, the netherlands the routledge companion to the study of religionis a major resource for everyone taking courses in religious studies. Comparative studies committee on the study of religion. Top five reasons to study religion at springfield college. Specialized knowledge on religion emerged in the 19th century after the industrial revolution and as a result of the ideological need of colonialism for a study of religions in the framework of the general history of mankind. Comparative study of religion departments research. We discover religion at the center of global issues and cultural conflict. The study reports the finding of a study conducted on 1800 respondents on the issue of believing in god and religion. The comparative study of religions by joachim wach, 1958. The comparative study of religion may be combined with another field in the overall framework of a joint concentration. Students built this torii gate in the crum meadow as a project for professor mark wallaces course religion, the environment, and contemplative practice by mark wallace. Comparative theology, comparative religion, and hinduchristian studies.
The comparative study of religions world religions. Approval of the topic will be based upon its cogency and its suitability as subject matter for a senior honors thesis in the field of south asian studies. Why is it important to study the worlds religions in the college and university curriculum. Religion persists and is often on the rise, even as scientific and nonreligious perspectives have become prominent. Let me propose another approach to the study of transnational religion that can also contribute to diaspora studies and to the study of religious institutions as transnational civil society creators. Comparative study of religion harvard college handbook. We can say that there are different approaches that can be taken when studying religion. But the same can be said of almost any human endeavor to understand human phenomena. It provokes heartfelt commitment, eloquent expression, forthright action, and intense. Approaches to the study of religion kenyon college. This course introduces students to the variety of academic approaches to the study of religion and to the procedures and sources used in writing academic papers in religious studies. Theory in general seems to have become suspect and energy and attention was focused. It is a theory concerning how religion originated that significantly differs from both the subjective approach pp. However, bergson and other evolutionists would say that religion is a.
Ever wondered why some food at your grocery store is marked. Description comparative studies includes reference to aesthetics, anthropology, archaeology, ethnography, ethics, gender studies, history, linguistics, literature, philosophy, phenomenology, religion, the social sciences, theology and, as appropriate, other related areas and disciplines that are utilized in the larger field of the study of religion. Class participation 15 100 points required course books. The comparative study of religion is open to all students and no longer requires an application for admission. Human kind has always been blessed by the spiritual progress and growth of different stages, bhudhi satwa dharma kaya, sambhoga kaya, nirvana kaya. Comparative religion is the branch of the study of religions concerned with the systematic comparison of the doctrines and practices of the worlds religions. The reason is that religion deals with what is transcendent, in the sense that it deals with what man is going to be. Religious studies, also known as the study of religion, is an academic field devoted to research. Neither of these approaches allows for humans worshipping the one true god from the beginning.
Students interested in a joint concentration involving religion should consult the director of undergraduate studies. Religion is powerful and persistent, and it shows no signs of disappearing. Study of religion authority subject op australia today is a pluralist society in which a great variety of religious traditions exist side by side. Piercing, restraint, sleep deprivation, starvation, tattooing. Comparative theology, comparative religion, and hindu. The goal of this site is to investigate whether or not there is sufficient evidence to prove that world religions are complementary, according to the model inspired by an old indian tale that of the blind men who tried to describe an elephant. Religious beliefs and practices, and why they change. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and crosscultural perspectives. Evolutionary anthropological approaches to the study of religion historically, evolutionary anthropologists have allocated the majority of our attention to topics like subsistence strategies, parental investment, warfare, etc. As we have noted, perfect objectivity in such matters seems impossible. Religious studies, also known as the study of religion, is an academic field devoted to research into religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions.
We still find religion everywhere, on television, in film, in popular music, in our towns and neighborhoods. As a religious studies student at east carolina university, you will study religion from a nonsectarian, interdisciplinary fashion, and explore. One topic that has been given only minimal space is religion. Comparative religion is the heart of religious study. A good introduction to the phenomenology of religion. In general the comparative study of religion yields a deeper understanding of the fundamental philosophical concerns of religion such as ethics, metaphysics, and the nature and forms of salvation. Comparative religion definition of comparative religion.
A useful overview of contemporary trends in the study of the faiths of todays world. Study of the origins of christianity and the evolution of its earliest beliefs and practices, as reflected. Three approaches to the study of religion the immanent frame. All staff members operate within the framework of comparative study of religion.
Comparative religion definition is comparative study of the origin, development, and interrelations of religious systems. It has been argued that religious studies is a polymethodic discipline, and that the student of religion should be familiar with the approaches of the major disciplines concerned with understanding the nature of religion, not least because the approach adopted has profound influence on the phenomena chose for investigation and the conclusions reached. 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. Inquiry and explanation publishes cuttingedge research in the new and growing field of scientific. The idea of the reading for today is to give you a sense of some of the tensions in the field. Most of the people and followers of a specific religion or denomination think that their religion or sect is the true religion and all others are false. Religion permits that its practice should be either devotional individual or collective or congregational.
He felt that such terms as science of religions or history of religions would be misleading to indian audiences, while he disliked the implications of the popular expression, comparative religions. Comparative religious studies san jose state university. In this department, religion is addressed in all its forms and appearances. Understanding world religions the study of religion.
A comparative study in science and religion for other persons, the encounter of world religions has led to the adoption of a total relativism in place of exclusive claims for a particular tradition. Ethnography as method kristin bloomer university of hawaii concerns that likely inspired todays panel can be traced textually to the beginnings of judaism, christianity, and islam, and to. An alternative approach is to select central themes of inquiry and to investigate how the religions engage with each theme. Study of the subject provides an understanding of the intellectual underpinning of religious traditions, and of the social and cultural contexts for religious belief and. The phenomenological method is characterised by the bracketing of scientific and theological theories so as not to bring any presuppositions into the study of religion. Theory in the study of religion masaryk university. This attitude rises from inscience and illiteracy that somebody have. Studying religion helps students become aware of others beliefs and further understand their own. The enlightenment and the invention of religion and the study of religion august 17. An informed and scholarly study of religion requires a comparative and interdisciplinary approach. Historians, anthropologists, sociologists and psychologists are working together to critically investigate religion as a cultural factor. Students in the honors track need 14 halfcourses of concentration credit to graduate.
Comparative study of religion departments university. Development of the study of consciousness and mind is appl ied to the study of religion, especially by cognitive science of religion csr. Stressing that religions are not just systems of belief, but forms of behavior. Ninian smart is one of the key thinkers in the study of religion. Paden focuses on four key complementary categories.
The confidence of the catholic community in the authority of the church and the conviction of protestant neoorthodoxy. Consequently, if such bracketing is a requirement, then the proper christian response would be to not do such comparative religion though it could still be approached from the traditional method. Combining historical, cultural and socialscientific perspectives on religion as a human phenomenon, the research and teaching in this department offers a unique contribution to a solid analysis of religion in its societal context. A voyage of discovery, fourth edition, considers one religion at a time, chapter by chapter. These flash cards are based on the power point slides that accompany irving hexhams book understanding world religions zondervan, grand rapids, 2011. Religious studies is intellectually exciting because it. Introduction to religion, page 2 2 schema for course grading l. Students in the nonhonors track need 12 halfcourses of concentration credit to graduate. This book has been written by a scholar who has occupied himself with the subject of religion for over fifty years. Purpose this study aims to demonstrate albirunis originality in the study of religion and the exploration of religious truth, while his firm stance on his religion effectively advocated his. It has been argued that religious studies is a polymet. Principle of comparative religion ensures that the right of the individual is preserved. However, students considering concentrating in religion are encouraged to contact the director or assistant director of undergraduate studies to discuss their interests.
472 1143 190 1058 610 1098 811 897 252 847 627 110 1008 825 221 796 1247 85 267 253 925 101 1560 1110 1585 1204 457 356 586 886 976 432 911 573 1464 1290