Post 1 (week one)

First Post

 

According to the reading there are several definitions for religion for example, according to Eliade “religion is an experience of the ‘sacred’”.  But the academic definition of religion comes from Smart, who believes that there are seven dimensions that make a religion.  “These are: myths, rituals, religious experiences, doctrines, ethics, social institutions, and material forms of the religion.”  Myths are sacred stories that are historical, or symbolic.  Rituals are acts or ceremonies that are believed to be sacred.  Experiences are some sort of sacred or holy encounter that one has.  Doctrines are the backbone of the religion and are the basis of where the philosophy and belief system come stem.  Ethics are the do’s and don’ts of the religion.  The social aspect is the culture that supports it, ones relationship with fellow believers. Material forms are the objects that have some sort of significant meaning to the religion. 

 

There are several different ways and strategies to studying a religion.  Religious studies are the most beneficial for those of us in the academic field that want a un biased well rounded education.  “Religious studies refers to the academic study of religion from a more secular viewpoint; scholars in this field need not be religious; the overall goal is the objective study of religion.”  When studying a religion one can study the psychology behind it, the sociological aspect of it, as well as the history, and many other things you can study as well as approaches that you can take when studying religion. 

 

There are several reasons why we should study different religions. One reason is living in America there are people from all over the world with different religions, by studying these religions we are able to learn more about their cultures and broaden our horizons.  By learning more about a different culture we may be able to clarify any pervious judgments and stereotypes that we have.  And the final reason why we should “study religion and philosophy in general simply to be well-informed, educated person.” 

 

As you read earlier it is really easy to start a religion as long as you have all of the seven dimensions mentioned in Smarts definition of religion, but religion got started because people needed answers for the unknown, so they turned to god or gods. Through religion people were told how they should live their lives and it gave them morals as well as ethics on how they should live their day-to-day lives.  From an evolutionary stand point throughout history people who had a solid religions outlook had a greater chance of survival and passing their genes onto the next generation.  However one is most likely to believe that religion has a transcendent origin.

 

God will not decay or die over time, however the versions of god will change over time.  Throughout history religion seems to adapt to the technology as well as the sciences.  As the religions are adapting so is the view and the role of god in these adapting religions.  Needless to say that god will never die but the way he is viewed may change over time.

 

Memes play on important role in religions.  “Memes explain how ideas infiltrate our minds and our society, but what is needed is an explanation of how certain memes resonate with particular environments, that is, particular stages of evolutionary thought, better than others.”