Table of Contents
What are some challenges in studying religion?
Terms in this set (12)
- Difficulty in defining “religion” -there is no definition of religion that can satisfy everyone.
- Perspective.
- Interpretation of religious texts.
- Limited access to information.
- Diversity within any religion.
- Monotheism.
- Polytheism.
- -pantheism.
What does the academic study of religion focus on?
Religious studies, also known as the study of religion, is an academic field devoted to research into religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.
Why is it impossible to study religion?
It is impossible to study religion without recognizing the enormous power of cultural difference, both the difference of the past from the present and also the range of cultural differences to be found in the contemporary world.
What are the negative effects of religion in your life?
As you can see, the negative effects of religion on society are enormous. To blindly follow a religious or any other ideology simply means to restrict your perception, suppress your thoughts and emotions, and live in hypocrisy — in other words, to live in pain and misery.
Why is the academic study of religion important?
Religion surrounds our daily lives and studying types of religion can help you understand many types of differences that are visible all around you. Studying religion increases your understanding of global complexity. To study religion is to delve into how religion interacts with all of these facets of our world.
Why do we study religion academically?
The academic study of religion is an ideal way to explore religious ideas from a variety of perspectives. Religion is one of the primary means for people wanting to explore the human condition of existence. Researching religion means having the chance to learn how others understand existence and our purpose.
What’s the difference between religious studies and academic study?
The academic study of religion rests on the basic distinction between studying about religion as a field of inquiry and being religious or a religious practitioner. This distinction is central to the U.S. Supreme Court case Abington vs. Schempp (1963), a case involving daily prayer as part of a Pennsylvania school’s opening exercises.
What did Justice Clark say about religious studies?
Writing for the majority, Justice Clark asserted that one’s “education is not complete without a study of comparative religion or the history of religion and its relationship to the advancement of civilization.”
Is the study of religion mandated by the Supreme Court?
We might say then that the academic study of religion is one of the only fields of study actually mandated by the Supreme Court for all U.S. citizens!
When did the American Academy of religion form?
The American Academy of Religion, the preeminent association of scholars of Religious Studies in North America, was formed in 1964 and now has over 11,000 members, including faculty and graduate students from colleges, universities, and divinity schools all over North America, Asia, Africa, and Europe.