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Rel100  PL203

Introduction to the Study of Religion

Religion is…
(Some Definitions of Religion)

 

  1. The human search for ultimate meaning in life. A quest for and response to ultimacy.

  2. The quest for the values of the ideal life and for the means of achieving them, including a world view that relates this quest to the surrounding universe.

  3. "A set of symbolic forms and acts which relate man to the ultimate condition of his existence." (Robert Bellah)

  4. A specific system of belief in God, doctrines, etc. God’s relation to humanity and the universe.

  5. A set of rituals which transform the state of man. Rituals which are rationalized and confirmed by sacred myths. A supernatural power behind the ritual brings the transformation.

  6. The feeling of absolute dependence. A sense and taste for the infinite. (F. Schleiermacher)

  7. An exploration in self-discovery.

  8. "What an individual does with his solitariness" (Alfred North Whitehead)

  9. "A person’s ultimate concern" (Paul Tillich)

  10. "A system of beliefs and practices directed to the ultimate concern of society."

  11. A personalized set or institutional system of beliefs and practices pertaining to the supernatural. (Supernatural: An order of existence beyond human experience and observation)

  12. Belief in invisible superhuman power together with feelings and practices that flow from such a belief.

  13. Humanity encountering what is authentically real and unconditionally important.

  14. "[The seeking] of divine truth, exploring who we are, why we’re here, and how we should live." (Joel Beversluis, ed., Sourcebook of the world’s Religions)

  15. Ways of interpreting life and ways of living.

  16. Belief about reality and living in accord with that belief.

  17. The search for the "more" of life; questioning, seeking truth.

  18. The ultimate sense that people give to their existence.

  19. The betterment of yourself and the betterment of the world you live in.

  20. A set of beliefs and practices designed to improve the nature of oneself.

  21. A means to ultimate transformation.

  22. A way to understand this experience that we call "life"

  23. Religion is the journey of life whereupon individuals attempt to achieve the highest possible good by adjusting their lives to the strongest and most magnificent power in the universe.

  24. A set of beliefs and practices which serve to subordinate us to something superior or holy in order to justify the events that control our lives 

  25. A person’s journey within themselves and within society on a search for truth, love, community, and "holy connection".

 

Assignment #1: from the above definitions, identify:

  1. three that are substantive (states what religion is, relating religion to an underlying sacred "substance")

  2. three that are functional (states what religion does, relating religion to the way it functions in our lives)

  3. three that are too broad/general (allowing things not ordinarily considered "religion" to be included)

  4. three that are too narrow (too specific/limited) (excluding aspects of religion that ought to be a part of a basic definition and/or limiting religion so much as to exclude some things generally considered as a "religion" [for example: "belief in God" is too narrow because religion is a lot more than just a belief in God and there are some Eastern religions that are not based on belief in a god or gods])

  5. three that work fairly well: neither too broad nor too narrow, including both functional and substantive aspects

Assignment #2: reviewing all the above definitions as well as your own, identify terms that seem to be common to a number of them and, using these terms, compile a good, useful definition of your own.

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Created by Laura Ellen Shulman 
Last updated: January 2002