Chapter 21 : Religion

Abstract

The scientific study of religion can be the subject matter of a range of sciences. When religion is mentioned in common discourse, it is immediately associated with precepts of what one does or what one should believe in, on orthodoxy in behaviour and on the relevance or not of the structures; whether they are referred to as a 'church' , 'denomination', 'sect' or 'religious movement', that are normally associated with religion. Philosophers, theologians and social scientists (particularly sociologists, anthropologists, political scientists and social psychologists) have contributed to the study of religion in diverse ways. Philosophers of religion are primarily interested in the nature and existence of God, the examination of religious experience, the analysis of religious vocabulary and texts, and the relationship between religion and science. Theologians normally study in a systematic and rational way concepts of God and of the nature of religious ideas. Through its various sub-disciplines, theology studies the sacred books and traditions of a particular religion, and its moral precepts. Theology seeks to understand, to appraise and promote the beliefs of a particular religion, generally from an 'insider' point of view. In contrast, social scientists, like many philosophers of religion, look at religion from 'outside'; they seek to understand religious phenomena without necessarily agreeing, or even forming part of, the religion they are examining. They seek to stand aloof, at least methodologically, in their studies. Unlike theologians who are normally believers embedded in one particular religion, social scientists opt for a value-free stance, known as 'methodological agnosticism'. This has to be clearly distinguished from methodological atheism, because like methodological theism, this methodology would not be value-free because both theism and atheism respectively affirm the truth and falsity of what a particular religion claims.