rels 200 readings

Chapter 1: Introductory Issues in the Study of Religion

🔑 Key Concepts & Terms

  • Difficulty of definition: Religion shows up differently (e.g., Buddhism can be non-theistic, but folk Buddhism includes gods).

  • Great vs. Little Traditions (Robert Redfield): elite/intellectual vs. popular/folk versions.

  • Definitions of Religion:

    • Émile Durkheim → social system, uniting community.

    • Immanuel Kant → morality/duty as divine command.

    • Max Müller → religion as doctrine & faith faculty.

  • Ninian Smart’s Model: abandons strict definitions → identifies religion through features: rituals, myths, doctrines, institutions, sacral sentiments, traditions.

  • Myth:

    • Bultmann → myth = false/unscientific.

    • Eliade/Campbell → myth = deep, sacred truth.

    • Anthropological view (Malinowski) → myth = functional story guiding society.

  • Objections to Smart: too descriptive, ignores personal commitment.

  • Ontological Definitions:

    • Tillich → religion as “ultimate concern.”

    • Fred Welbourn → African perspective, religion as total life-orientation.

    • Herman Dooyeweerd → religion = ultimate human impulse to the absolute.

  • Explicit vs. Implicit Religion: what people say (theology, texts) vs. what they do (lived practice).

  • Stark & Bainbridge: operational definition — religion = system of “compensators” based on supernatural assumptions (belief, practice, experience, knowledge, consequences).

  • Religious Studies: Field vs. Discipline:

    • Mircea Eliade → unique discipline.

    • Smart & others → interdisciplinary field (history, philosophy, social sciences).

📖 Study Questions

  1. Why is defining religion so difficult?
    → Diversity of practices (theistic, non-theistic, ritual vs. philosophical).

  2. What is the difference between “great” and “little” traditions?
    → Great = intellectual/elite; Little = folk/popular expressions.

  3. How does Ninian Smart suggest we identify religion?
    → Look for features: ritual, myth, doctrine, tradition, sacral sentiments.

  4. How do Tillich & Welbourn differ from Smart?
    → Focus on ultimate concern and way of life, not just institutions.

  5. What is “implicit religion”?
    → Lived commitments seen in action, not just stated belief.

  6. How do Stark & Bainbridge make religion measurable?
    → Define it as compensators + 5 measurable dimensions (belief, practice, etc.).

  7. Is religious studies a discipline or field?
    → Likely a field → uses history, philosophy, sociology, anthropology.

Chapter 2: A Biased Canon

🔑 Key Concepts & Terms

  • Bias in Study of Religion: recognizing bias = critical thinking.

  • African Religions Neglected:

    • Most textbooks devote little/no space (Smart, Ling, Noss, Oxtoby, Esposito, etc.).

    • African traditions often reduced to “indigenous” or “primitive.”

  • Examples of Disparity:

    • Smart: India’s diversity praised, Africa’s dismissed as fragmented.

    • Sacrifice in India = profound system; in Africa = mere “gesture.”

    • Hindu gods = manifestations of One; African gods = “refracted theism” (inferior).

    • African myths = “death, disorder, trickster”; Indian myths = “a thousand themes.”

  • Africa’s Importance:

    • Ancient Christianity in Africa (Ethiopia, Egypt, Augustine, Tertullian).

    • African influence on modern Christianity (e.g., Charismatic movement).

  • Historical Background of Bias:

    • Pre-Enlightenment: Africans respected (e.g., Anton Wilhelm Amo, African philosopher in Germany).

    • Enlightenment thinkers → Racist views:

      • Voltaire → polygenesis, Africans inferior.

      • David Hume → Africans “naturally inferior.”

      • Rousseau → “savage man” = childlike, primitive.

      • Kant & Hegel → theoretical justification for racial hierarchy.

    • This racism shaped later academic neglect.

📖 Study Questions

  1. What is meant by a “biased canon” in religious studies?
    → Textbooks privilege some religions (Hinduism, Buddhism) and neglect African traditions.

  2. Give examples of how Ninian Smart treated African vs. Indian religions differently.
    → India = creative diversity, Africa = fragmented/inferior; Indian sacrifice profound, African sacrifice trivial.

  3. Why is ignoring African religions unjustified?
    → Africa has ancient traditions (Christianity, Judaism links, Ethiopian Church) and modern influence.

  4. How did Enlightenment thinkers shape racist views of Africa?
    → Voltaire, Hume, Rousseau, Kant → argued Africans lacked intelligence/civilization.

  5. What evidence exists of respected African intellectuals before Enlightenment racism?
    → Anton Wilhelm Amo (18th-c. philosopher), early African saints (St. Maurice, Augustine).

  6. Why is recognizing bias crucial for studying religion?
    → Prevents distorted comparisons, encourages fair representation of all traditions