Introduction to Religion
What is religion?
Some Images
Religion
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Religare
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Religia
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Latin root
Re plus ligare
‘again’ combined with ‘to
bind’ meaning ‘to tie fast’
Latin – ‘obligation’ or
‘bond’
Religian
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Old French
Gary Comstock
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that part of some people’s lives which
involves rituals, beliefs, organizations, ethical
values, historical traditions and personal
habits or choices – some of which refer to the
transcendent.
Mircea Eliade
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“The sacred always
manifests itself as a
reality of a wholly
different order from
‘natural’ realities. ...The
first possible definition
of the sacred is that it is
the opposite of the
profane.”
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sacred: Set apart for
worship of a deity or as
worthy of worship.
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profane: Nonreligious.
Outside the sphere of
religion.
Ninian Smart
Seven Dimensions of
Religion.
Not a definition, but
identifying features that
help us understand the
way academics think
about the topic.
Practical or Ritual
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Formal or informal
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Temporal and spatial
Experiential or Emotional
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Rudolf Otto
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Mysterium tremendum
fascinans – a mysterious
something that draws
you in and inspires both
awe and fear
Mysticism key here
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Intuitive
Beyond reason
Bernini, Gianlorenzo
Ecstasy of St. Teresa
1647-52
Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome
Narrative or Mythic Dimension
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Myth – a vehicle that
relates a truth defying
normal expression and
sets pattern for human
behaviors
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Cosmogony
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Accounts of creation of
the world
Eschatology
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Accounts/Beliefs about
the end of the world
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Scriptural or canonical
(kanon is Greek for
measuring rod)
Doctrinal or Philosophical Dimension
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The principles of a
tradition
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Typically explain
complex ideas
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May or may not be
familiar to the average
believer, but is part of
the scholarly tradition
Ethical or Legal Dimension
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The things required of a believer
Social and Institutional Dimension
Material Dimension
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Artifacts
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Buildings
Art
Music
Symbols
Natural World
Why do religions exist?
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Religions help us deal with a
variety of human needs. For
example:
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Give us a way to think
about our own mortality
Help us to find security in
an insecure world
Organize us socially
Assist the poorest and the
weakest with survival
Stimulate artistic production
Sigmund Freud
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1856-1939
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Religion is about
projecting our childhood
experiences with our
parents onto a God or
gods
Carl Jung
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1875-1961
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Individuation or
personal fulfillment
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Symbols particularly
important
Some Key Terms
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Theistic
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Religions based on a
relationship with a divine
being
The Divine in a Singular
form
Polytheistic
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Multiple forms of the
divine
Monistic
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Monotheistic
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Atheism
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Beneath multiple
apparent forms of the
divine there is one
ultimate reality
Non-belief in any deity
Agnosticism
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No knowledge if the
divine exists or can be
known
Why Study Religions
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Insight into other cultures and
into the lives of other people.
Religion is a key to the way
many people live.
Understanding religious
practice helps us to better
understand others’ lives and
hopefully, to be tolerant of
people not like us.
Improve your appreciation of
new places because you can
understand what you see and
hear and experience more fully.
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To assist in your own religious
quest. Summed up simply: we
can learn from others who do
not practice as we do.
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To appreciate every day life
more fully. You cannot see a
movie, read a book, hear a
song, listen to a Presidential
debate without some mention of
religion it seems. Knowing
more is a positive.
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To make you a better citizen of
the world