The Comparative Study of Religion draws upon social scientific and humanistic methods in order to interpret religious phenomena worldwide. Scholars of religion use a range of tools: historical methods to think about how religions change over time; comparative methods to analyze rituals or texts in different religions; anthropological methods to study how religion shapes human cultures and societies. Still others use literary-critical methods to understand religious texts and how they are used. It is a diverse, creative field in which scholars talk across disciplinary boundaries. Due to this interdisciplinary approach, the Study of Religion attracts creative, versatile students willing to learn different ways of thinking about and interpreting human life, community and culture.
Why is it important to study comparative religion?
Why Study Comparative Religion
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Is there value in studying comparative religions?
To study comparative religion, have many benefits, one of them is that you try to study and understand other religions from their own sources, and you try understand this religion as their followers do. As another, when you study comparative religion, you can find others` understandings about one concept.
What is Comparative Religion Studies?
The study of different religions and how they relate to one another is known as comparative religion. Comparative religion simplifies its task by separating religions into various supergroups, each of which reflects an overarching tradition and encompasses many individual religions.
What does comparative religion mean?
Comparative religion is the branch of the study of religions concerned with the systematic comparison of the doctrines and practices, themes and impacts (including migration) of the world's religions.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.
What is one benefit of using a comparative approach to study the world's religions?
One benefit of using a comparative approach to study the world's religions is that it enables us to know each one, including our own, more precisely. Friedrich Max Müller pointed out that to know just one religion is to known none.
What is the purpose of comparative theology?
As a constructive practice, it is also a theology that proceeds by comparison; it fulfills the basic goal of "faith seeking understanding" precisely in the intelligent juxtaposition and use-together of theological texts from different traditions.
What do you mean by comparative religion?
Definition of comparative religion : comparative study of the origin, development, and interrelations of religious systems — compare history of religions.
What is the difference between comparative theology and theology of religions?
Theology of religion thus reflects from Christian theological claims, based on general descriptions of other religious traditions. In contrast to this, comparative theology is a theology of religious learning.
Who is a student of comparative religion?
Comparative Religion students are globalists, with expertise in analyzing the ways in which billions of people lead and evaluate their lives across the world and within American pluralism. With one foot in the humanities and the other in the social sciences, Comparative Religion is interdisciplinary in nature.
What is the study of different religions?
What is theology? Theology is the study of religion. It examines the human experience of faith, and how different people and cultures express it. Theologians examine the many different religions of the world and their impact on society.
Who is the father of comparative religion?
Max MüllerMax Müller (1823–1900), a German-born and Oxford-based scholar of the Sanskrit language, sometimes regarded as the "father of comparative religion." Müller, who edited a fifty-volume translation series titled The Sacred Books of the East (1879–1910), made a particularly strong case that the study of religion should ...
What is comparative religion PDF?
Comparative Religion is a systematic, sophisticated and comprehensive studies to yield a deeper understanding of nature, beliefs, ethics, sacredness, metaphysics, practices, mythology, spiritual orientation, deliverance and other fundamental concerns of different religions of the world.
What are some examples of comparative mythology?
A few notable examples include: Zeus vs. Typhon and Hercules vs. the Lernaean Hydra, both of which are from Greek mythology, Thor vs. Jörmungandr of Norse mythology, Indra vs. Vritra of Indian mythology, Ra vs. Apep of Egyptian mythology, and Yu the Great vs. Xiangliu.
What is the primary difference between comparative religion and comparative mythology?
Main Difference – Mythology vs Religion Mythology refers to a collection of myths, especially one belonging to a particular religious or cultural tradition. Religion is a specific system of belief and/or worship, often involving a code of ethics and philosophy.
What two religions are similar?
Another similarity between Christianity and Islam is that both religions are Abrahamic religions - meaning that they descended from Judaism and the worship of the God of Abraham. Another similarity is that both religions trace their origins to the two sons of Abraham.
Why is religion important in literature?
Religion is central to human identity and to the way people find their place in the world, so that religious studies are also intertwined with Psychology.
What is comparative religion?
Comparative Religion stands as an important intersection for many fields of knowledge.
Why is comparative religion important?
Comparative Religion stands as an important intersection for many fields of knowledge. Religion is connected with philosophy, but no less to sociology and anthropology, as it provides the basis of a social structure. The best of literature, philosophy, poetry and art throughout history was created with religious goals and motivations.
What is the Taoic religion?
A Taoic religion is a religion, or religious philosophy, that focuses on the East Asian concept of Tao ("The Way"). This forms a large group of eastern religions including Taoism, Confucianism, Jeung San Do, Shintoism, I-Kuan Tao, Chondogyo, and Chen Tao.
What are the three religions that are considered Abrahamic?
In the study of comparative religion, the category of Abrahamic religions consists of the three monotheistic religions, Christianity, Islam and Judaism , which claim Abraham (Hebrew Avraham אַבְרָהָם; Arabic Ibrahim إبراهيم ) as a part of their sacred history.
What is the Tao?
Tao can be roughly stated to be the flow of the universe, or the force behind the natural order. It is believed to be the influence that keeps the universe balanced and ordered and is associated with nature, due to a belief that nature demonstrates the Tao.
What religions are kinships in India?
It is thought that "the kinship of the religions of India stems from the fact that Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs look back to Hinduism as their common mother.". Al-Biruni deeply studied the Vedic religions and through his works essential details about pre-11th century India's religions and cultures were found.
What is the geographical classification of religion?
According to Charles Joseph Adams, in the field of comparative religion, a common geographical classification discerns the main world religions as follows: Middle Eastern religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam and a variety of ancient cults ;
What is comparative religion?
Comparative religion is the branch of the study of religions concerned with the systematic comparison of the doctrines and practices, themes and impacts (including migration) of the world's religions.
Which religions diverge the most in theology and practice?
Out of the three major Abrahamic faiths, Christianity and Judaism are the two religions that diverge the most in theology and practice.
What is comparative religions 101?
“Comparative Religions 101: Study the world’s major faiths and religions side by side and learn their similarities and differences.” This simple course description is included in thousands of college and university catalogs advertising a class that is often required for graduation. Books and websites are devoted to the subject of comparative religions, many times with the goal of validating and presenting each as a respectable option for mankind’s spiritual needs. Education is always beneficial when it is pursued from a foundation of truth; however, if we study comparative religions with the goal of changing our thinking about God and His Word, such an undertaking can be dangerous. Christians who are grounded in their faith should have no problem studying the world’s man-made religions. Even so, there are a few things to keep in mind.
Why is it important to educate ourselves about the religions of our region?
Educating ourselves about the religions of our region can help us craft a more successful approach in presenting the gospel of Jesus Christ. However, if the study is motivated by our own spiritual unrest or questions about whether the Bible is true, such a study will most likely only increase confusion.
What does Psalm 1:3 mean?
Psalm 1:1–3 applied to this question warns Christians to avoid the “counsel of the ungodly” and those who “sit in the seat of scoffers.”.
Is education good for religion?
Education is always beneficial when it is pursued from a foundation of truth; however, if we study comparative religions with the goal of changing our thinking about God and His Word, such an undertaking can be dangerous. Christians who are grounded in their faith should have no problem studying the world’s man-made religions.
Is the student above the teacher?
The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.”. The way the subject of comparative religions is presented makes a huge difference in whether it is helpful or harmful.
What is senior honors thesis?
The Senior Honors Thesis is an opportunity to explore an area of interest in detail. Students who elect to write a thesis should regard it as the culmination of years of reading, analyzing, and making arguments about religion. As noted above, in order to be eligible to write a thesis, students must maintain a minimum average in the concentration of B+ by the end of the first semester of the junior year. Exceptions to this policy must be approved by the A. B. Subcommittee early in the second semester of the student’s junior year.
What is a sophomore tutorial?
The sophomore tutorial is a required seminar for all sophomores and new junior concentrators. Its purpose is to introduce students to different methods and theories in the Study of Religion. The course introduces students to major themes and arguments that have defined the field—including, for example, arguments about the nature of religion, ritual, myth, scripture and culture. Our hope is that the sophomore tutorial also will help students narrow their range of interests, preparing them for more in-depth work in their junior and senior years. By the end of the sophomore year, students will have been introduced to the field and to the analytical tools scholars use to interpret religious phenomena.
What is religion 91r?
Religion 91r is a course of supervised reading and research on a special topic in the Study of Religion. The 91r permits individuals or small groups to examine subjects that cannot be studied in regular courses. The course involves close reading and written work, both of which are evaluated by the faculty director with a letter grade and written comments.
What is an introductory course in comparative studies?
Introductory courses in the Comparative Study of Religion are intended to introduce students to key categories in the study of religion (e.g., scripture, ethics, myth, body and practice). Many introductory courses are taught in a comparative context (that is three or more traditions) and with some attention to theoretical and methodological issues. An introductory course (ordinarily a course numbered Religion 11 through 20) is required of all concentrators, and students are advised to take one as they explore the concentration.
What is the Handbook of Religion?
This handbook is the standard reference work for requirements, rules, and advising procedures for the undergraduate program in the Study of Religion. Faculty Advisers and tutorial leaders will assume students are familiar with it, so please read its contents carefully and keep an updated copy ready to hand. The Handbook is updated annually, so be sure get a revised version each year.
How many credits do you need to graduate from Comparative Study of Religion?
The Comparative Study of Religion offers an honors and a non-honors track. Students in the honors track need 14 half-courses of concentration credit to graduate . Students in the non-honors track need 12 half-courses of concentration credit to graduate.
What is comparative study of religion?
The Comparative Study of Religion draws upon social scientific and humanistic methods in order to interpret religious phenomena worldwide. Scholars of religion use a range of tools: historical methods to think about how religions change over time; comparative methods to analyze rituals or texts in different religions; anthropological methods to study how religion shapes human cultures and societies. Still others use literary-critical methods to understand religious texts and how they are used. It is a diverse, creative field in which scholars talk across disciplinary boundaries. Due to this interdisciplinary approach, the Study of Religion attracts creative, versatile students willing to learn different ways of thinking about and interpreting human life, community and culture.
There are many Religions to Compare
Outside of the five major religions, it is quite difficult to find accurate information about the other religious groups. More obscure religions like Scientology, Baha'i, Mormon, Unitarian Universalist, and even Atheism are not in the mainstream of our society in terms of the news, the culture, or on television.
Dark Night of the Soul
The great book Dark Night of the Soul written by Spanish poet and Roman Catholic mystic Saint John of the Cross, a Carmelite priest in the 16th century, speaks of this crossroad in one's life. The texts tell of the saint's mystical development, and the stages he is subjected to on his journey towards union with God.
What is the study of religion?
The Study of Religion as an interdisciplinary, academic field draws upon both social scientific and humanistic methods to interpret religious phenomena worldwide. The program stresses the acquisition of skills: (1) the arts of reading and interpreting texts, practices, and societies; (2) clear writing (essays are a substantial part of the requirements of the sophomore and junior tutorials), and (3) knowledge of the fundamental literature on theories of religion, and on various methods of study. Competency in religious studies indicates the ability to think critically and with historical and cultural learning about the complicated place of religious history, imagination, motivation, and memory in national and international affairs. Such skills have become one marker of an educated person, who is appropriately prepared for the responsibilities and pleasures of democratic citizenship and leadership.
What is comparative study of religion?
The concentration in the Comparative Study of Religion invites students to explore the most consequential and momentous questions relevant to the understanding of individual and communal human life. Concentrators consider topics such as the significance of ritual and practice; differing conceptions of human nature and the nature of the divine; and comparative study of how people understand the meaning of life, suffering, and death. Our program is unique in allowing students to take up these and other “big” questions in rigorous and critical ways.
Student Learning Outcomes
Will demonstrate an understanding of the beliefs, rituals, texts and figures related to a variety of religious traditions.
Program Purpose
The Comparative Religion minor provides for the non-sectarian study of religious traditions and beliefs. By studying a variety of religions, students gain a broad understanding and appreciation of spiritual perspectives, both individually and collectively.
Overview
Comparative religion is the branch of the study of religions concerned with the systematic comparison of the doctrines and practices, themes and impacts (including migration) of the world's religions. 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 sa…
History
Al-Biruni and Ibn Hazm of the Islamic Golden Age compared the study of religious pluralism and their works have been significant in the fields of theology and philosophy. Social scientists in the 19th century took a strong interest in comparative and "primitive" religion through the work of Max Müller, Edward Burnett Tylor, William Robertson Smith, James George Frazer, Émile Durkheim, Max Weber, and Rudolf Otto. Nicholas de Lange, Professor of Hebrew and Jewish Studies at Cambridg…
Geographical classification
According to Charles Joseph Adams, in the field of comparative religion, a common geographical classification discerns the main world religions as follows:
1. Middle Eastern religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Zoroastrianism, and a variety of ancient cults;
Comparing traditions
• Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion
• Baháʼí Faith and Buddhism
• Baháʼí Faith and Hinduism
• Baháʼí Faith and Zoroastrianism
See also
• Comparative mythology
• Comparative theology
• Hierographology
• Inclusivism
• Institute for Interreligious Dialogue
Further reading
• Chopra, R. M. A Study of Religions, (Anuradha Prakashan, New Delhi, 2015) ISBN 978-9382339-94-6.
• Davis, G. Scott. Believing and Acting: The Pragmatic Turn in Comparative Religion and Ethics (Oxford University Press, 2012).
• Eastman, Roger. The Ways of Religion: An Introduction to the Major Traditions. (3rd ed. Oxford University Press, 1959) ISBN 978-0-19-511835-3.
External links
• Patheos.com's Side-By-Side Comparative "Lenses"
• ReligiousTolerance.org
• ReligionFacts.com
• Comparative-religion.com