studying religions
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Philosopy & Religion 122 : Women & Religion. Studying Religions. Introduction to . For the syllabus , deadlines and study materials, see the course website at. Why study world religions?. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Studying ReligionsIntroduction to
For the syllabus, deadlines and study materials, see the course website at
Philosopy & Religion 122 : Women & Religion
Why study world religions?
1. Pluralism: NJ has the full range of world religions. So will the places in which we work and live.
2. Conflicts often break down along lines of religion, ideology, tribe, language group etc.
3. Foreign affairs - international business4. Personal growth: wisdom, meaning, ethics, answers5. History: much of our present culture has religious roots.6. Its everywhere: we cant find a culture, time or place where
religion has not been a significant phenomenon.
Methodologies to Study Religion
• Sociology & Anthropology• Philosophy• History & Archeology• Texts and stories• Theology• Symbols, rituals &
customs• Artistic expressions• Psychology
Religious Studies: the secular, objective study of religion as a phenomenon.
Religion usually sees a split-level universe
Unconditioned Reality God Ti’an (Heaven) Spirits The Dao Nirvana Brahman
Conditioned Reality: the mundane world that we experience
every day
Limited, finite Source of freedom (liberating)
Caveat: dualism
Religion as door/window
Unconditioned RealityConditioned Reality Revelations, gods, angels, saviors, prophets, prayers, trances, rituals,
meditations, art, scriptures, music, dance,
sacraments, ethics, theology
“Practicing religion” is making the connection, entering the doorway, looking through the window in a way that affects the way one lives. It may yield new ethics, clarity, purpose, virtue, grace or better relationships with other people, one’s self or with the Divine itself.
3 Forms of Religious ExpressionJoachim Wach (1898-1955)
Theoretical(what is said)
Examples: beliefs, stories,
theology, scripture, ethics, doctrine
Practical(what is done)
Examples:worship, meditation, prayer, pilgrimage,
praxis, art
Sociological(what groups/relationships are formed - organization)
Examples:leadership, institutions,
schools, sects, relationship to
outsiders
add: the mystical experience of some individuals
All 3 must be studied together to understand
the full religious
experience of a group
Why study Religions? a. To understand human beings: spiritual self-
transcendence seems to be built into human nature
b. To overcome our ignorance: of traditions other than our own
c. To comprehend our own culture and history.d. To achieve a global perspectivee. To help formulate our own religious belief or
philosophy of life. Studying religions inevitably leads one to evaluate one’s own values and beliefs
Why study Religions? Moral spin-offs
Ethical concepts historically have flowed from religious ideas and practices
Positive ideals of what a good life is.
Virtues: what traits and behaviors are positive and reinforce these
Prohibitions of that seen as incompatible (vice) with a good life
What is a good society, and how should people interact to create it?
Why study Religions? Creative spin-offs
ArtMusicArchitecturePoliticsEconomicsSciencePhilosophy
Our approach• Descriptive. Observational.• Suspend temporarily our own personal beliefs
and/or personal skepticism.• Approach each religion as an outsider trying to learn
what an insider of that group sees and experiences in their experience of their religion “from the inside out”.
• Criticism, but with an attempt at empathy: religion impacts politics, economics, family life, relationships, legal systems and gender roles across 7 continents and thousands of years. When advancing a criticism of a religious practice try to identify what values and beliefs you are appealing to in advancing that criticism, and how other value systems, especially those of the believer, might cause the adherent to see it differently.