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Religious studies thus draws upon multiple academic disciplines and methodologies including anthropology, sociology, psychology, philosophy, and history of religion.
Introducing Theology and Religious Studies. Theology is one of the oldest areas of academic study known to humanity, while religious studies has developed in the modern period. Both disciplines are intellectually stimulating and relevant in helping us understand the role of religions, ancient and modern, in the world around us.
The academic study of religion uses multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary methods because of the nature of religion and the interaction between religious practice and religious studies.
- Introduction
- Critical Theory
- What Makes A Religion True?
- Recognising Ourselves
- How Should We Study?
- In Conclusion…
- Image Credits
- See Also
Religious studies is the academic study of religion - but what does that reallymean? It means that we use scholarly tools and techniques to investigate what religion is, how it’s performed, why it exists, and what it means for the people who practice it. It also means looking critically at how we build up our picture of ‘religion’ - who gets to def...
This sort of thinking (and thinking about thinking!) is sometimes referred to as critical theory. It means taking a step back and asking questions about the ‘tools of the trade’, the ideas and principles, the methods and approaches that we use. This is an important part of religious studies, without which we might blindly reinforce unfair power str...
Religious studies is also agnostic with regard to religious ‘truth’, or we might say that the subject is ‘secular’ - it does not require us to make judgements about whether a particular worldview is ‘true’, instead it focuses on studying people in the context of their religious practices and beliefs, without passing judgement. This also means that ...
This brings us to another important point about religious studies - scholars must be aware of their own bias and perspective, and where possible aim to minimise the effect this may have on their studies, and be as transparent as possible about their position. This makes it easier for other people to read their work in its proper context, and unders...
Religious studies is multidisciplinary - it doesn’t cover just one area of human life, in fact religion impacts almost everythingthat people do, and so the methods used to study ‘religion’ need to be equally broad. In practical terms, this means that you might use tools drawn from anthropology, psychology, neurology, sociology, musical theory, geog...
Religious studies is a fascinating subject, which examines the diverse and complex ways that people express and experience meaningful connections between each other and the world. It aims to understand and describe perspectives without passing judgement on their validity or truth. It requires self-awareness and empathy, as well as critical judgemen...
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Religious Studies and Theology are two closely related fields that focus on the study of religion, spirituality, and belief systems. While both disciplines explore the nature of religion and its impact on society, they differ in their approach and scope.
Religious Studies is the academic discipline that studies the phenomena of religion from the perspective of critical analysis. As an academic field, Religious Studies does not profess religion as such, so it could not properly be called a “religion” itself.
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The academic study of religion as we know it today can be traced to the 19th century encounter of Western scholars and theologians with non-Western cultures. In the United States, departments of Religious Studies began to emerge in public universities beginning in the late 1950s and 1960s.
