dimensions of world religion

mythological/narrative

in many traditions, stories and records of the past serve to establish and maintain tradition

material

most religions have a material dimension, manifest not only in the works of people, but in the preservations of artifacts and sacred places

doctrinal/philosophical

in the major belief systems, leaders and scholars have sought to provide a systematic explanation of what adherents are meant to believe

ethical/legal

religious beliefs underpin a value system defined by laws that promote specific behaviors

experiential/emotional

all religions are responses to certain significant experiences of their founders and followers

ritual/practical

every religious tradition has some practices to which it adheres and which provide a spiritual awareness

social/institutional

many religious movements develop organizational structures that provide for the collective experience of their adherents and identify the group within the wider society

empathy

the ability to “feel into” another’s religions tradition

critical

using our faculties like observation, judgement, understanding, and classification (asking critical questions and using proper judgement)

bias

prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.

critical thinking

the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment

denotation

the literal meaning of a word

connotation

all the meanings, associations, or emotions that a word suggests

objective

not influenced by personal feelings or opinions; factual

subjective

based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions

assumption

a thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof

evaluation

the making of a judgment about something; assessment

plausibility

credibility, believability

reasoning

the process of making clear how your evidence supports your claim

inductive reasoning

type of logic in which generalizations are based on a large number of specific observations

deductive reasoning

reasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating a general principle and then applying that principle to a specific case

Ninian Smart

philosopher and theologian who developed the ideas of critical empathy and the dimensions of religion