HUMA 1845 Islamic Traditions

RELIGION AND THE STUDY OF RELIGIONS:

Definitions and approaches
1. What is Religion
a/ definition
b/ characteristics
2. Approaches to the scholarly study of religions
a/ existential (as a believer)
b/ academic (as a scholar):
i. Normative (Theology: in the Divinities colleges, madrasas, yeshivas, etc.)
ii. Non-normative (Religious Studies: in the Humanities departments of secular
universities)

3. Aspects of Religious Studies: religion as a tradition; history,

system, and dynamics of a religious tradition
• Religion > Latin religio (“to bind, to relate”)

Every religion presupposes two aspects of reality: a visible and an invisible one. Its
goal is to establish a connection between the two: to bind the visible material world,
to the invisible one, which contains the hidden motive force of the world.

• A definition: “Religion is a distinctive set of beliefs, symbols, rituals, doctrines,

institutions and practices that enables the members of a tradition to establish,
maintain, and celebrate a meaningful world.”
Byron Earhart
Religion can be approached from two different angles:
a/ as a believer
b/ as a scholar
And scholars can approach it from two angles as well:
a/ from a normative point of view
b/ from a non-normative point of view

Terminology: “Normative”—from “norm” (a standard, model, pattern). An assumed standard of correct

behaviour, belief, etc. Attempt to establish such a norm by prescription of rules
 The Scholarly Study of Religion:
Approaches and aims
In the Divinities
• Divinity school, seminary,
madrasa, yeshiva, etc.
• THEOLOGY (Gk. theos + logos)
• Focus on the Divine (e.g. on the
decree of God)-how the Higher
Reality acts into the world
• Normative approach: It advocates
that one faith be taken as the
standard or the norm (i.e. “the
right belief’) and the claims of
other religions be judged
according to it. Similarly, within
the religions tradition, it defines
which is “the correct path” and
which is not.
In the Humanities
• University, Humanities
departments
• RELIGIOUS STUDIES
• Focus on the believers-what they
believe, how they respond to their
perception of the Higher Reality
• Non-normative approach: It
studies religions as important
social and historical phenomena,
without commenting on their
truth of falsity. It takes no religious
belief as “the norm”. It may
compare belief systems without
expressing opinion which is right
and which is wrong, or which is
“true belief” and “correct practice”
and which is “superstition” or
“heresy.”
 The Scholarly Study of Religion:
Assumptions
In the Divinities: THEOLOGY
Theologians assume that they have
access to the will of God through, e.g.,
the Divine revelation preserved in
scriptures and their interpretation by
the scholars of their particular school.
That “direct access” allows them to set
the parameters of right belief and correct
practice.
In the Humanities: RELIGIOUS STUDIES
Religious Studies scholars take as their
point of departure the fact that even
though the scriptures of a given religion
may have Divine origin, they are written
down, preserved, and interpreted by
humans. Therefore, scholars have access
only to what humans have preserved
and understood from the Divine
revelations. They have no unmediated
access to the Divine will, and no
mandate to determine what is correct
and incorrect belief and practice.
They can only study and describe what
believers believe.
 The Scholarly Study of Religion:
Goals and objectives
Scholars in both fields approach religion in a disciplined manner, through established
methodologies, and study the same fundamental sources. However:
In the Divinities: THEOLOGY In the Humanities: RELIGIOUS STUDIES
The goal of the theologians is to define The goal of scholars in Religious Studies
and defend the fundamentals of the is to understand how religious beliefs
faith, and to establish the boundaries develop, what are the major tenets of
between those who hold “the right the faith, how that translates into ritual
belief”, and to those who do not. (That practice, and how religious beliefs affect
applies both to demarcating “otherness” people’s lives.
between religions, as well as among
sects within a religion.) Since religion affects almost every facet
of life, scholars in this academic field
come from a variety of disciplines: from
majors in Religious Studies, to specialists
in literature, history, political science,
anthropology, economics, bioethics, etc.
It is a truly interdisciplinary field of
study.
 The Scholarly Study of Religion:
Distinctive traits and modes of expression
In the Divinities: THEOLOGY
*The normative approach takes one
particular system of belief as “the truth”,
and therefore:
a/ expresses its tenets as “universal
truth”. For example:
“The Quran is the Word of God, verbatim
(preserved word-for-word)”
b/ judges the truth of the beliefs of
other religions according to its own
system
“Christians believe that Jesus was born of
a virgin, and that is correct. They also
believe that he has divine nature, and
that is wrong. He is a human, and a
prophet of God.”
In the Humanities: RELIGIOUS STUDIES
*The non-normative approach assumes
to have access only to what believers
believe is “the truth”, and therefore:
a/ indicates who holds the beliefs that it
discusses. For example:
“Muslims believe that the Quran is the
word of God, verbatim.”
b/ may compare different systems of
religious belief, but makes no
pronouncements on their truth
“Christians and Muslims both believe
that Jesus was born of a virgin. However,
while Christians believe that Jesus has a
divine nature, Muslims believe that he is
just a human, but chosen to be a prophet
of God.”
 Aspects of Religious Studies
Religion as a tradition
• Religious tradition:
J. Action: “[Religious]Tradition is a belief or practice transmitted from one
generation to another and accepted as authoritative.”
• Issues of continuity and change:
Understanding of historical, social, political, and cultural circumstances which
shaped the beliefs and customs, shared by the diverse communities within a
religion
• “Great tradition” / “Little traditions”
These two terms were introduced by the anthropologist Robert Redfield to
express the difference between official religion and popular practices.
• GREAT TRADITION: Religion as expressed in the normative texts of the religion and their
interpretation by the religious authorities
• LITTLE TRADITIONS: are particular local practices; religion as practiced by different
communities within the faith, or different social groups, which are striving to apply the
tenets of the faith in local conditions.
 Aspects of Religious Studies
Object of study
• History of the religious tradition:
– How does a tradition emerge, who is its founder, how it develops over time
– Issues:
*“History” and “Sacred History”
*”Historical truth” and “Religious truth”

• System or structure of the religious tradition:

– What is central to the tradition. What are its doctrines, creeds, rituals, sacraments,
institutions—and how do they interrelate and fit together in an integrated whole
– What holds the tradition together, regardless the changes it experiences overtime?

• Dynamics or practice:
– How is a religion expressed and practiced at a given time and location? What are the
practices of its followers in:
– a/ the annual cycle (yearly festivals, commemorations, etc.)
– b/a follower’s life cycle (birth, marriage, death, etc.)
– c/a follower’s personal life experience as a practitioner of the faith
 Points to ponder:

• Can a theologian work in the field of Religious Studies?

• This course—which is part of the Religious Studies program—takes a non-
normative approach to the study of Islam. Can devout Muslims/
Christians/ Jews/ Sikhs, etc. express their true beliefs in class, and in their
writings, or should they hide them?
• Can you transform a normative statement into a non-normative one, and
the other way around?
• Can you see a practical application of the non-normative approach to the
study of religion in your daily life?