Summary of “Sesi 1-2 video”

Religion is a world of multiple definitions. The word itself is derived from it’s Latin word
‘Religi’, which means “to reconnect back with the origin”. The simplest yet most complete
definition of Religion would be-

“A system of belief and faith, that serves as a connection that persists from a Higher Power to
human beings, furnished with an understanding, a realization that a Higher Power exists, is
almighty, has a will for our destinies, is to be worshipped and that signs and rules from Him
are something of holy importance that should be obeyed.”

A belief system, where the faith of the particular religion is described, the process of
devotional ritual, which includes how to pray, what ceremonies or rites etc. are held, and the
rules of that religion, which are to be followed by all followers/disciples of the religion,
constitute the 3 basic elements of all religions.

The various ways in which a person can acquire their religion are traditionally, where a
person’s religion is automatically that which is of their parent’s, or formally; a person’s
religion is dependent on the region or country in which they live and they identify with the
said religion. It can also be rationally acquired, where one finds for truth in the essence of all
religions and he himself decides which one he wants to undertake, or it can also be acquired
when one receives a revelation of a God or Higher Power of a particular religion.

Different types or modes of personality can be found in different religions. One can discover
a verbal-type personality where the people can understand easily and think rationally. They
can also find people at the opposite end of the spectrum where an affective-type, an
emotional personality (with common outbursts) can be found. Social-type personality where
the person can easily achieve a good relationship with a population or a transcendental-type,
a spiritual individual.

We can opt many different ways to understand religion. We can have an objective, scientific
approach towards it where if a phenomenon or belief cannot be physically observed, it is
deemed unimportant. A subjective approach, which is a spiritual or religious approach,
however, claims that if a phenomenon cannot be observed, then and only then it is deemed
important. We can also approach religion, philologically, through reading the languages and
literatures, such as the holy texts or books. By studying the historical periods and important
figures of the religion, we can take a historical approach.

In our modern society, we can examine the relationship between a religion and its disciples
(sociological approach). However, if we take into account the primitive society and analyze
the myths and symbols of the religion, we would be taking an anthropological approach. By
taking a phenomenological approach, we can also analyze different religions, build profiles
and compare them.
Summary of “Orientasi Rencana Perkembangan
Semester”
The study of world religion gives us a bird’s view point of all the religions, their core beliefs,
their differences and similarities, etc. This class serves a platform for students of different
religions to discover the answers to various questions and concepts ranging from the topic of
why do human beings need to develop tolerance, understanding and dialogue between
religions to the concept of the rituals, belief and even God himself.

The general purpose of this subject is to build a dialogue, a sort of basic but deeper
understanding for the religions and most importantly promote tolerance and respect for all the
different religions, especially in a place as rustic as Indonesia. It also teaches us different
approaches and methodological steps of how to achieve a respectful discussion on religion.

Summary of “Sejarah dan Perkembangan Studi Agama-

agama”
The study of religions is one that systematically analyses and compares the various
constitutions of each religion. Theology differs from it, as a theologist is one who is a
believer/ follower of a certain religion who uses logic and the holy scriptures as a base. It was
once known as the study of comparisons between the religions, however, now the word
“comparisons” has been removed as we not only study their similarities and differences but
also their uniqueness. An etymological definition for religion is incompetent as the word
itself has extensive meaning.

The history of religion is one that is vast, involving many figures. The earliest detectable
trace of religion can be found as early as 550 BCE. However, the earliest traceable evidence
of the ‘history of religion’ is during the 12th Century CE while Religious Studies begin in the
19th Century. Max Müller is arguably one of the most important figures of the history of
Religious Studies as he was the first to implement the subject into a University, which paved
way for others with similar ambitions. The 1960s and 1970s were the golden age as it was
then that the study became normalized which sparked interests and many journals were
published. It was followed by a short decline, but it bounced back and flourished when it was
implemented with other courses and subjects.

The philosophy of religion uses various philosophical devices to examine different concepts
of a particular religion.

A diverse set of Methodologies are there to interpret and give structure to religious
phenomena. Phenomenology, a method that has been used long before the word was even
coined, categorizes the assorted characteristics of a religion. It recognizes how one’s beliefs
and interpretations influences one’s thoughts, and encourages the phenomenologist to cast
aside their predisposed beliefs and built-in interpretation to give a neutral standpoint without
bias, to only impersonally observe and record. This is standpoint is termed Epochè.

A few aspects of the method of Phenomenology is grouping the phenomena, understanding

the phenomena thoroughly, practicing epochè, resolving every structural connection and
recognizing their meaning, having a true and deep appreciation, acknowledging its
connection with other fields of study, having a clear idea of the phenomena, such that one can
explain it to another person and lastly, separating their theology and bias of the phenomena
from their study.

Another method that is also used is called Functionalism. Here, we evaluate religious
communities and their beliefs using a functional phenomenon. Using ‘la religion vécue’,
which literally means “living the religion”, we take a more personal look as we delve into the
daily lives, exploring what do people do daily in terms of religion, and what they believe in.
Other schools of approach include, the multidisciplinary approach consisting of two types;
objective and subjective approaches, and lastly, the is the holistic approach, where we see the
values for the religious study.