Approaches to the study of Religion Essays

Approaches to the study of Religion Essays Approaches to the study of Religion Essay Approaches to the study of Religion Essay We can state that there are different attacks that can be taken when analyzing faith. For the last four decennaries universities and schools have been moving in response to a changeless, steady demand for classs upon the survey of faith.The people who take these classs are normally involved in faith themselves, many are involved a in spiritual communities or, wishing to cognize more and larn sing the spiritual beliefs of others. Others have no clear vision upon their spiritual individuality and are seeking possible traditions, ready to run into their religious geographic expedition.So they start looking for different attacks to their survey, conveying along different sentiments and whatever the procedure and methodological analysis is, will convey them information from which finally they will happen replies or give sentiment. ( Peter Connolly, pp1-2Approche to the Study of Religion, Biddles L.T.D. ) The writer will try to measure the strengths and failing of two attacks to faith and seek to compare the work of the two representations and their methodological analysis.The first is Professor Ninian Smart as he wrote widely, sing different subjects in faiths, with documents and articles looking in a huge scope of publication sand telecasting worldwide developing his ain vision and doctrine of human advancement and religious development. The other is Sri Aurobindo who brought a alteration to the vision of development of life into the deity of life, In his ain words: Man is on a transitorily transition. He is non concluding. The phase from adult male to super being is the following which depends from the attack of the accomplishment on the development on Earth. It is the logic of Nature s procedure . The plant of both Sri Aurobindo and Ninian Smart shows two drastic and wholly different attacks to faith. The writer as portion of his grade class has studied these two immensely differing attacks. Ninian Smart s attack to faith is described in his academic literature as a wholly new manner to the thought of faith. He exemplify the debut of Phenomenology stating, a batch of sentiments have been written about non merely the physical interchange of races but ; , besides cultural and cultural, and particularly upon values, so what take topographic point when faiths and their tradition convene? Will the globalisation lead to a sort of cosmopolitan faith, as anticipation might take, or it will be turned in a lively assortment of many different beliefs? Smart contemplated these inquiry for many old ages look intoing assorted faiths in the universe. He explains that such experience decidedly will alter places on old positions sing spiritual tradition. It may possibly escalate your spiritual experience. It all depends on the individual you are and the personal period of life you are traveling through. ( Scott London, the hereafter of faith an Interview with Ninian Smart June 1999 issue ofThe Witnessmagazine. ) We can corroborate that the method of survey that Smart used in his attack grok both external and internal analysis of faith, characterized by phenomenological positions. ( James L.Cox, p.159.A usher to the Phenomenology of faith.key figure, formative influence and subsequent argument. Continuum International printing group.2006. ) Of class the phenomenological attack employed by Smart can be interpreted as an effort of taking into consideration the single experience of faith a at the same clip seeking to divide from it. The method used was to compare the subjective experience with the purpose of determining the agreement of faith itself from within the construction. This attack can be better understood in his ritual dimension engagement with worshipping, speculations, pilgrims journeies, forfeits and mending activities.Of class doctrinal and philosophical dimension is to be taken in consideration without populating behind the experimental and emotional dimension and the of import ethical and legal dimension. ( Ninian Smart, pp10-12, Dimension of the sacred an anatomy of the universe s beliefs, Harper Collins Publisher 1196 ) We see from Smart s classifactory history The Experiential and Emotional Dimension The Narrative or Mythic Dimension The Doctrinal The Philosophical Dimension The Ethical and Legal Dimension The Social and Institutional Dimension The Material Dimension The Practical and ritual dimensions ( BBC.Religion ) Smart s position in prolonging a phenomenological perceptual experience to the methodological analysis of attack to the survey, is far different from the attack that Sri Aurobindo usage. First of all we have to state that both, Smart and Aurobindo have non defined faith from nonsubjective point of position but instead to find faith in footings of its ain value. Both methods tried to avoid the phenomenological attack. Personal experience is important to any apprehension of faith.On this peculiar history Aurobindo discovers the relation or brotherhood, he favours, what he identifies as religious psychological science and built-in methods, but for both he confirms that the aim is to be understood and interpreted in footings of subjective. ( D P Chattopadhyaya p1integral sociology and dialectical sociology, Shri Jainedra imperativeness 1976 ) From its attack, we understand that Sri Aurobindo begins his work clearly within spiritual chance, peculiarly his ain relation with yoga, he explains ; the pattern is non for ourselves entirely, but for the Divine ; The purpose is to happen business of good in the universe, to outcome a religious transition and to convey down a godly nature and a godly life into the mental, critical and physical nature and life of humanity. Its object is non personal, although is a necessary status of the yoga. So with Aurobindo is clear the end is more straight mystical, to became one with the Godhead. ( Michael T.Mclaughlin, p96, Editrice Ponteficia Universita` Grecoriana Roma 2003 ) In many occasions he confirmed that he does non mean to advance any old faith or to happen a new one and he strongly oppose spiritual particolarism. So he is suggesting a mystical end and from his yogistic instructions he guides, shows and achieves that. ( Stephen H.Phillips.p79, Aurobindo`s Philosophyof Brahman, E.J.Brill Leiden 1986 ) The strength of Smart can be seen that he does non wish to deprive faith or faith down to one or two elements say belief in The Virgin Birth and the tenet of out with the church there is no redemption but his classificatory history makes it clear that it has many elements and strands. A unfavorable judgment of his attack is that it is far to scientific and while get downing from the experiential and emotional he shortly slips back into seeking to seek common subjects within all faiths Aurobindo did non merely lodge to an immanental experience of a Godhead being but that there must be transcendency within the persons life which is seen in Auroville with a lived attack to 1s faith instead like that which is common within Charismatic and Evangelical Churches. A unfavorable judgment of Aurobindo s position may be seen that it seeks to stay within faith itself, similar to that of Smart as they both emphasise the importance of the experience of faith, a personal contact with God or Gods, nevertheless within Marxism we can see a move off from this spiritual experience. Aurobindo offers no counsel upon other faiths as his history is strictly personal. So how would Aurobindo address inquiries upon doctrine say within the New Testament? These inquiries within Smarts Classifactory history would assist to specify a faith. For illustration different sentiments sing the Three between Roman Catholics and Jehovah Witnesses. Besides we can see the beliefs, symbolim and instruction s of Auroville suiting weel within the above detailed classifacations of Smart s dimensions of faith Can we genuinely compare two wholly different positions religion one really internal the other really ocular? Is Sri Aurobindo genuinely internal when we have the community of Auroville and a civilization around him? Can we categorise all faiths within Ninian Smart definitions? We may reason stating that maybe faiths will neer unite in to one planetary religion, but we do believe that the society is traveling towards a planetary political orientation that have a infinite for faith and place the parts of the diverse ethnicity and traditions and convey a new manner in assisting us to work together for the support of human values and spiritualty. What may be the manner frontward in the instruction and definition of faith is to accept the uniqueness of each faith and each persons faith and seek ways in which they can be accommodated within a safe international environment that moves off from empirical definitions.