Exploring a Profile: Theories of Religion Course Summary
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Course
G_BATRSPC102
Institution
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU)
This summary is sufficient for the passing grade 8.5.
Course Objective
* students acquire knowledge of (early) modern and contemporary theories
of religion
* students acquire insight into the shifting concerns that inspired the
modern history of Western scholars studying religion as a human
...
Bodin - “True Religion must be the Oldest one” Reductionist Treatment of Religion
- Father of Comparative Religious Studies, inter-religious dialogue 16th Century
- Systematic cross-cultural comparison (imposing their own concept of
- Age of Religion can be determined as every aspect of human world religion)
Herbert - “Natural Religion is the Essence of Religion” Reductionist Treatment of Religion
- Natural world as embodiment of Divinity, human beings are religious by 16th Century
Nature, Natural Religion as not artificial
- Neutral and rational way of thinking
- Ambidextrous (double-sided) Theory of Natural Religion – we must reject
exclusivism and confessionalism
Spinoza - Jewish Dutch Philosopher Religion should be treated like any
- Developed Humanistic and Naturalistic “method of Scriptural interpretation” Work of Nature
- Attempt to reinvent religion- from superstition and divine interventions – to 17th Century
impersonal quasi-scientific discipline
- (Monist – Oneness) God is fulfilling the Universe “There is no God except
philosophy” Philosophy = God Natural Religion (Universal) -
- Prophets are the best philosophers so they can channel God rationalization
- Higher Criticism – reading and analyzing Bible as a piece of literature
Max Muller - Religion as a profound sense of the infinite (form of feeling) Reductionist Treatment of Religion
- Religion enables people to understand the world, be part of rel. as a believer 19th Century
- Father of Comparative Study of Religion – he used historical and linguistic
comparative methods (Reason is the solution to the Wars
- Establishing his “scientific” theory of religion – using cooperative tools of Religions)
- Ultimate root for Natural Religion is the language and how it shapes our
thinking across history (Preserving Evolutionary scheme
- He misjudged value and the ultimate meaning of Vedic religion and myth that was corresponding to his
- MOST IMPORTANT > 1) seeking historical origins, 2) use of notions needs)
“families, types, or styles of religions,” 3) remember how important
comparison is (religious differences and the similarities) + Schleiermacher
Religion as a profound sense of
- Linguistic Division – Aryan (Indo-European), Semitic (Abrahamic
dependence, (form of feeling)
Religions), Turanian (nomadic)
1
, Tylor - True Natural Religion as belief in spiritual beings ANIMISM (form of Reductionist Treatment of Religion
thinking, explaining the world 1) based on confusion, 2) is pseudoscience – 19th Century
confusion of cause and effect (magic)) as belief is not about practices but
about thinking
- Monotheism is the ANIMISM of the civilized man – monotheism is not
superior because religion is also belief in spirits (Preserving Evolutionary scheme
- ANIMISM is the groundwork for all religions that was corresponding to his
- ‘Primitives’ (Savages) – represent a way of thinking but less informed, they needs)
are rational to think (He was not a racist, did not feel superior but more
advanced)
- Thinking about evolution and its development stages helped Tylor establish
a common ground on religion’s nature.
- Time of great discoveries challenged Tylor who lost his point while
comparing two degraded forms of religions - the “savages” of Darwin with
the ‘primitives’ of prehistoric Europe.
R. Smith - Religion as a primitive form of science (form of sociability) Reductionist Treatment of Religion
- Totemism is the earliest form of religion 19th Century
- Sociological Study of Religion – Moral Reason, Judaism as a superstition
- Bible as a ‘general history of religion.’ – Taking “the comparative
evolutionary anthropological” approach to study all religions at the same
time.
- First-hand ethnographic observations of religion and social life of the tribal
folk of Arabia were remarkable.
- Through evolutionary theory and ethnographic observations, Smith traveled
back to the ancient past and observed people’s religious life. + Rousseau
- Assumption that religion must have evolved from ritual to morality. His Religion as a form of social contact
historical ordering went from sacrifice to moral highly developed society and community to make good
with doctrines. citizens (form of sociability)
- 2 IMPORTANT LESSONS - First, religion is about what we think and what
we do, and second, there is much more to our lives than explain the world by
establishing theories. It is about action and worship that is not a part of
theoretical thinking.
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