دین شناسی

معنی کلمه دین شناسی

معنی واژه دین شناسی

معنیدین شناسی، دین‌پژوهی یا مطالعات ادیان، عنوانی است که تقریباً از دهه ۶۰ میلادی به خصوص در آمریکا برای اشاره به یک رشته دانشگاهی مستقل در حوزه علوم انسانی (Humanities) بکار می‌رود. پیش از رواج این اصطلاح، عناوینی همچون ادیان همسنجشی یا تطبیقی (Comparative Religion) نیز بکار برده می‌شدند.
زادگاه این رشته، همانند سایر رشته‌های نوین علوم انسانی اروپاست. مکس مولر ( Max Muller) آلمانی کسی بود که اولین کرسی استادی با عنوان ادیان تطبیقی در دانشگاه آکسفورد به افتخار وی افتتاح شد. عنوان اخیر در واقع معادل انگلیسی ای بود که در قبال اصطلاح آلمانی religionswissenschaft که معنای لغوی آن علم ادیان (The Science of Religions) است برابر نهاده شده بود. از مکس مولر کتابی با همین عنوان به زبان انگلیسی به جای مانده است که به عنوان نخستین متن کلاسیک این رشته از آن یاد می‌شود.
دین‌شناسی و الاهیات

یکی از مهمترین نکاتی که درباره این رشته باید مد نظر داشت تفاوت جوهری آن با رشته‌ای همچون الاهیات مسیحی (Theology) یا کلام اسلامی است. رویکرد رشته‌های اخیر به مطالعه پدیده‌های دینی، رویکردی مومنانه (confessional) یا درون دینی است. به این معنا که تفاسیر، تبیینها، نظریات و روشها همگی در خدمت هدفی واحد قرار می‌گیرند. این هدف عبارت است از حمایت از حقانیت دسته‌ای از گزاره‌های دینی که با قرائت متکلم یا الاهی دان فرضی، یا مکتب کلامی یا الاهیاتی خاص، سازگار هستند. در مقابل، دسته دیگری از گزاره‌ها که با قرائت فوق الذکر ناسازگار تلقی می‌شوند، با بکار گیری روشهای مختلف، رد می‌شوند. در مقابل، چنین گفته می‌شود که دین‌شناسی در تحلیل پدیده‌های دینی نسبت به حقانیت یا بطلان آنها بیطرف بوده و اصولاً با رویکردی غیرمومنانه (non-confessional) یا برون دینی به آنها می نگرد. لازم به ذکر است که رویکرد غیرمومنانه یا برون دینی منطقاً متفاوت با رویکرد ضد دینی است که هدف آن اثبات بطلان باورهای دینی است. به عبارت دیگر، در این رشته تلاش بر آن است که فارغ از تعصبات دینی و ایمانی و اساساً با رویکردی همدلانه به تحلیل پدیده‌های دینی در فرهنگهای مختلف دست زد. ابطال یا اثبات باورهای دینی و مبانی آنها خارج از حوزه بررسی این دانش قرار می‌گیرد هرچند ممکن است نتایج تحقیق درباره باور یا باورهایی خاص به طور غیرمستقیم منجر به ابطال برداشت مومنانه از آنها باشد.
محقق علم ادیان تلاش می‌کند که باورها، تعصبات و تمایلات دینی خود را به اصطلاح در پرانتز قرار دهد (اپوخه) و تا حد امکان مانع از تاثیرگذاری آنها بر روند تحقیقش شود. به تعبیر ساده تر، هدف آن است که تحقیق تا حد امکان عینی (objective) باشد. در این زمینه باید توجه داشت که محققان این رشته، همانند سایر رشته‌های علوم انسانی، بر این واقعیت اعتراف دارند که هیچ کس نمی‌تواند به کل از بندِ منظرِ جهان شناختی خاص خود رها گردد و این پیش زمینه‌ها همواره، هرچند به طور غیرمستقیم، در تحقیق تاثیر گذار خواهند بود. به عبارت دیگر، عینیت خالص هرگز دست یافتنی نیست. در عین حال، تفاوت اساسی میان رویکرد درون دینی و برون دینی قابل انکار نیست. اولی، طبق تعریف، مجموعه‌ای از گزاره‌های خاص دینی را از آغاز تا پایان ملازم و راهنمایِ جریانِ تحقیق قرار می‌دهد و در صدد اثبات یا ابطال باورهای خاصی است در حالیکه دومی - در عین پذیرش اینکه تمام محققان التزامات دینی (یا ضد دینی) خاصی دارند - خواستار دور نگه داشتن آنها از جریان تحقیق تا حد امکان است. این تفاوت در هیچ جا بیشتر از کتابها و مقالاتی که ثمره این دو رویکرد متفاوت هستند قابل مشاهده نیست.
روش‌شناسی مطالعات ادیان

دین‌شناسی از جمله رشته‌هایی در حوزه علوم انسانی است که از نظر روش شناختی (متدلوژی) هویتی ترکیبی (hybrid) دارد. به عبارت دیگر، محقق علم ادیان از طیف وسیعی از روشهای متداول در حوزه علوم انسانی، کمی و کیفی، برای شناخت پدیده مورد بحث، یعنی دین در جلوه‌ها و نسخه‌های مختلف آن، استفاده می‌کند. این روشها می‌تواند شامل روشهای جامعه شناختی، روانشناختی، تاریخی-انتقادی، پدیدارشناختی، تحلیلی، ادبی-انتقادی، و غیره باشد. به همین دلیل، هویت این رشته به عنوان یک واحد منسجم و مجزا از سایر رشته‌های علوم انسانی نه بر اساس روش تحقیق بلکه بر اساس موضوع و غایت تحقیق شکل می‌گیرد. دین‌شناسی از این جهت شباهت تامی به رشته مردم‌شناسی (Anthropology) دارد. از این دو رشته گاه به عنوان دو خواهر یاد می‌شود. شباهت تا آنجاست که امکانِ تفکیکِ نظریِ تحقیقات مردم شناسانه ای که با موضوع دین انجام می پذیرند از تحقیقات مشابه که توسط محققان دین‌شناسی صورت می‌گیرند وجود ندارد. این همپوشانی به خصوص با زیرشاخه‌ای از رشته مردم‌شناسی که در ایالات متحده با عنوان انسان‌شناسی فرهنگی (Cultural Anthropology) شناخته می‌شود بیشتر است. به همین دلیل، دانشجویان رشته دین‌شناسی در آمریکا به طور استاندارد با برخی از مهم‌ترین کتابهای مردم‌شناسی آشنایی دارند و ملزم به مطالعه و بحث و تحقیق درباب آنها می‌باشند.
این مطلب کاملاً بر خلاف رشته‌هایی همچون جامعه‌شناسی و روانشناسی است که یکپارچگی و وحدت آنها، علاوه بر موضوع و غایت، بر مبنای استفاده از روش تحقیقی واحد نیز تحقق می پذیرد. باید اضافه کرد که رویکردهای روش شناسانه در دین شناسی، و البته مردم‌شناسی فرهنگی، غالباً از نوع کیفی (Qualitative) و غیرتجربی هستند بر خلاف جامعه‌شناسی و روانشناسی که در دنیای آکادمیک غربی به شدت به تحقیقات کمی (Quantitative) و تجربی (empirical) تمایل دارند. بر همین اساس، طبیعی است که دو رشته اخیر غالباً در دانشگاه‌ها جزو زیر گروه علوم اجتماعی (Social Sciences) تقسیم بندی می‌شوند به این معنا که ادعا می‌شود از نظر روشی اساساً با علم تجربی (science) مانند فیزیک و شیمی همانندی دارند. این در حالی است که در رشته‌هایی همچون تاریخ، مردم شناسی، انسان‌شناسی فرهنگی، نه چنین ادعایی وجود دارد و نه ایده آلِ حرکت به سوی علم تجربی محرک محققان است.
رده‌های صفحه: دین و علم رشته‌های آکادمی دانشگاهی علوم میان‌رشته‌ای مطالعه دین

قس انگلیسی
Religious studies is the academic field of multi-disciplinary, secular study of religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.
While theology attempts to understand the nature of transcendent or supernatural forces (such as deities), religious studies tries to study religious behavior and belief from outside any particular religious viewpoint. Religious studies draws upon multiple disciplines and their methodologies including anthropology, sociology, psychology, philosophy, and history of religion.
Religious studies originated in the nineteenth century, when scholarly and historical analysis of the Bible had flourished, and Hindu and Buddhist texts were first being translated into European languages. Early influential scholars included Friedrich Max Müller, in England, and Cornelius P. Tiele, in the Netherlands. Today religious studies is practiced by scholars worldwide. In its early years, it was known as Comparative Religion or the Science of Religion and, in the USA, there are those who today also know the field as the History of religion (associated with methodological traditions traced to the University of Chicago in general, and in particular Mircea Eliade, from the late 1950s through to the late 1980s). The field is known as Religionswissenschaft in Germany and Sciences de la religion in the French-speaking world.
The term "religion" originated from the Latin noun "religio", that was nominalized from one of three verbs: "relegere" (to turn to constantly/observe conscientiously); "religare" (to bind oneself ); and "reeligare" (to choose again). Because of these three different meanings, an etymological analysis alone does not resolve the ambiguity of defining religion, since each verb points to a different understanding of what religion is. During the Medieval Period, the term "religious" was used as a noun to describe someone who had joined a monastic order (a "religious"). Despite this change in meaning, it is important to note the term "religion" is primarily a Christian term. Judaism and Hinduism, for example, do not include this term in their vocabulary.
Contents
Religious studies vs. theology

Western philosophy of religion, as the basic ancestor of modern religious studies, is differentiated from theology and the many Eastern philosophical traditions by generally being written from a third party perspective. The scholar need not be a believer. Theology stands in contrast to the philosophy of religion and religious studies in that, generally, the scholar is first and foremost a believer employing both logic and scripture as evidence. Theology according to this understanding fits with the definition which Anselm of Canterbury gave to it in the 11th century, credo ut intelligam, or faith seeking understanding (literally, "I believe so that I may understand"). The theologian then has the task of making intelligible, or clarifying, the religious commitments to which he or she ascribes. The scholar of religious studies has no such allegiances.
Intellectual foundation and background

Before religious studies became a field in its own right, flourishing in the United States in the late 1960s, several key intellectual figures explored religion from a variety of perspectives. One of these figures was the famous pragmatist William James. His 1902 Gifford lectures and book The Varieties of Religious Experience examined religion from a psychological-philosophical perspective and is still influential today. His essay The Will to Believe defends the rationality of faith.
Max Weber studied religion from an economic perspective in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1904-5), his most famous work. As a major figure in sociology, he has no doubt influenced later sociologists of religion. Émile Durkheim also holds continuing influence as one of the fathers of sociology. He explored Protestant and Catholic attitudes and doctrines regarding suicide in his work Suicide. In 1912 he published his most memorable work on religion, Elementary Forms of the Religious Life.
History



Max Müller
Interest in the general study of religion dates back to at least Hecataeus of Miletus (ca. 550 BCE – ca. 476 BCE) and Herodotus (ca. 484 BCE – 425 BCE). Later, during the Middle Ages, Islamic scholars studied Persian, Jewish, Christian, and Indian religions. The first history of religion was the Treatise on the Religious and Philosophical Sects (1127 CE), written by the Muslim scholar Muhammad al-Shahrastani. Peter the Venerable, also working in the twelfth century, studied Islam and made possible a Latin translation of the Quran.
Notwithstanding the long interest in the study of religion, the academic discipline Religious Studies is relatively new. Dr. Chris Partridge notes that the "first professorships were established as recently as the final quarter of the nineteenth century." In the nineteenth century, the study of religion was done through the eyes of science. Max Müller was the first Professor of Comparative Religion at Oxford University, a chair created especially for him. In his Introduction to the Science of Religion (1873) he wrote that it is "the duty of those who have devoted their life to the study of the principal religions of the world in their original documents, and who value and reverence it in whatever form it may present itself, to take possession of this new territory in the name of true science."
Partridge writes that "by the second half of the twentieth century the study of religion had emerged as a prominent and important field of academic enquiry." He cites the growing distrust of the empiricism of the nineteenth century and the growing interest in non-Christian religions and spirituality coupled with convergence of the work of social scientists and that of scholars of religion as factors involved in the rise of Religious Studies.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the term "religious studies" became common and interest in the field increased. New departments were founded and influential journals of religious studies were initiated (for example, Religious Studies and Religion). In the forward to Approaches to the Study of Religion, Ninian Smart wrote that "in the English-speaking world studies basically dates from the 1960s, although before then there were such fields as the comparative study of religion, the history of religion, the sociology of religion and so on..."
In the 1980s, in both Britain and America, "the decrease in student applications and diminishing resources in the 1980s led to cut backs affecting religious studies departments." (Partridge) Later in the decade, religious studies began to pick up as a result of integrating religious studies with other disciplines and forming programs of study that mixed the discipline with more utilitarian study.
Philosophy of religion uses philosophical tools to evaluate religious claims and doctrines. Western philosophy has traditionally been employed by English speaking scholars. (Some other cultures have their own philosophical traditions including Indian, Muslim, and Jewish.) Common issues considered by the (Western) philosophy of religion are the existence of God, belief and rationality, cosmology, and logical inferences of logical consistency from sacred texts.
Although philosophy has long been used in evaluation of religious claims (e.g. Augustine and Pelagiuss debate concerning original sin), the rise of scholasticism in the 11th century, which represented "the search for order in intellectual life" (Russell, 170), more fully integrated the Western philosophical tradition (with the introduction of translations of Aristotle) in religious study.
There is some amount of overlap between subcategories of religious studies and the discipline itself. Religious studies seeks to study religious phenomena as a whole, rather than be limited to the approaches of its subcategories.
Anthropology of religion
The anthropology of religion is principally concerned with the common basic needs of man that religion fulfills.
Cultural anthropology of religion
The cultural anthropology of religion is principally concerned with the cultural aspects of religion. Of primary concern to the cultural anthropologist of religions are rituals, beliefs, religious art, and practices of piety.
Economics of religion
Gallup surveys have found that the worlds poorest countries may be the most religious. Of those countries with average per-capita incomes under $2000, 95% reported that religion played an important role in their daily lives. This is contrasted by the average of 47% from the richest countries, with incomes over $25000 (with the United States breaking the trend by reporting at 65%). Social scientists have suggested that religion plays a functional role (helping people cope) in poorer nations. The New York Times offers a graphic illustrating the correlation (not necessarily causation) between religion and poverty.
Geography of religion
The geography of religion is principally concerned with the spatial elements of religious practice and embodiment. In the 1960s and 1970s, geographers of religion such as Wilbur Zelinsky and David Sopher were mostly associated with the "Berkeley school" of cultural geography and focused mostly on the cultural imprints of religion on the landscape. Since the turn in the new cultural geography of religion through the work of James Duncan on the City as Text, geographers of religion have focused on what Lily Kong has called the "politics and poetics" of religion, especially in relation to the political geographies of secular nation-states. Recent interest in the geography of religion has focused on how religious practitioners enact sacred space through their embodied sacred practices as well as the relationship between religion and geopolitics.
History of religion
See also: History of religion
The history of religions is not concerned with theological claims apart from their historical significance. Some topics of this discipline are the historicity of religious figures, events, and the evolution of doctrinal matters.
Literary approaches
There are many approaches to the study of sacred texts. One of these approaches is to interpret the text as a literary object. Metaphor, thematic elements, and the nature and motivations of the characters are of interest in this approach. An example of this approach is God: A Biography, by Jack Miles.
Neurological approaches
Recently there has been an interesting meeting between neurology and religion, especially Buddhism. Also of interest has been the temporal lobe, the "God center" of the brain. (Ramachandran, ch. 9) Although not a widely accepted discipline within religious studies, neurological findings in regard to religious experience may very well become of more widespread interest to scholars of religion. Scientific investigators have used a SPECTscanner to analyze the brain activity of both Christian contemplatives and Buddhist meditators, finding them to be quite similar.
Origin of religion
Main articles: Evolutionary origin of religions, Evolutionary psychology of religion, and Revelation
The "origin of religion" refers to the emergence of religious behavior in prehistory, before written records.
Psychology of religion
The psychology of religion is concerned with what psychological principles are operative in religious communities and practitioners. William James was one of the first academics to bridge the gap between the emerging science of psychology and the study of religion. A few issues of concern to the psychologist of religions are the psychological nature of religious conversion, the making of religious decisions, religion and happiness, and the psychological factors in evaluating religious claims.
Sigmund Freud was another influential figure in the field of psychology and religion. He used his psychoanalytic theory to explain religious beliefs, practices, and rituals in order to justify the role of religion in the development of human culture.
Sociology of religion
Main article: Sociology of religion
The sociology of religion concerns the dialectical relationship between religion and society; the practices, historical backgrounds, developments, universal themes and roles of religion in society. There is particular emphasis on the recurring role of religion in all societies and throughout recorded history. The sociology of religion is distinguished from the philosophy of religion in that it does not set out to assess the validity of religious beliefs, though the process of comparing multiple conflicting dogmas may require what Peter L. Berger has described as inherent "methodological atheism". Whereas the sociology of religion broadly differs from theology in assuming the invalidity of the supernatural, theorists tend to acknowledge socio-cultural reification of religious practise.
It may be said that the modern formal discipline of sociology began with the analysis of religion in Durkheims 1897 study of suicide rates amongst Catholic and Protestant populations. The works of Max Weber emphasised the relationship between religious belief and the economic foundations of society. Contemporary debates have centred on issues such as secularization, civil religion, and the cohesiveness of religion in the context of globalization and multiculturalism.
The sociology of religion also deals with how religion impacts society regarding the positive and negatives of what happens when religion is mixed with society. Theorist such as Marx states that “religion is the opium of the people” - the idea that religion has become a way for people to deal with their problems. At least one comprehensive study refutes this idea. Research has found that secular democracies like France or Scandinavia outperform more theistic democracies on various measures of societal health. The authors explain that "Pressing questions include the reasons, whether theistic or non-theistic, that the exceptionally wealthy U.S. is so inefficient that it is experiencing a much higher degree of societal distress than are less religious, less wealthy prosperous democracies. Conversely, how do the latter achieve superior societal health while having little in the way of the religious values or institutions?"
Methodologies

A number of methodologies are used in Religious Studies. Methodologies are hermeneutics, or interpretive models, that provide a structure for the analysis of religious phenomena.
Phenomenology
Main article: Phenomenology (philosophy)
Phenomenology is "arguably the most influential approach to the study of religion in the twentieth century." (Partridge) The term is first found in the title of the work of the influential philosopher of German Idealism, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, entitled The Phenomenology of Spirit. Phenomenology had been practiced long before its being made explicit as a philosophical method by Edmund Husserl, who is considered to be its founder. In the context of Phenomenology of religion however, the term was first used by Pierre Daniel Chantepie de la Saussaye in his work "Lehrbuch der Religiongeschichte" (1887). Chantepies phenomenology catalogued observable characteristics of religion much like a zoologist would categorize animals or an entomologist would categorize insects.
In part due to Husserls influence, "phenomenology" came to "refer to a method which is more complex and claims rather more for itself than did Chantepie’s mere cataloguing of facts." (Partridge) Husserl argued that the foundation of knowledge is consciousness. He recognized "how easy it is for prior beliefs and interpretations to unconsciously influence one’s thinking, Husserl’s phenomenological method sought to shelve all these presuppositions and interpretations." (Partridge) Husserl introduced the term "eidetic vision" to describe the ability to observe without "prior beliefs and interpretations" influencing understanding and perception.
His other main conceptual contribution is the idea of the epoche: setting aside metaphysical questions and observing phenomena in and of themselves, without any bias or commitments on the part of the investigator. The epoche, also known as phenomenological reduction or bracketing, involves approaching a phenomenon or phenomena from a neutral standpoint, instead of with our own particular attitudes. In performing this reduction, whatever phenomenon or phenomena we approach are understood in themselves, rather than from our own perspectives. In the field of religious studies, a contemporary advocate of the phenomenological method is Ninian Smart. He suggests that we should perform the epoche as a means to engage in cross-cultural studies. In doing so, we can take the beliefs, symbols, rituals etc. of the other from within their own perspective, rather than imposing ours on them. Another earlier scholar who employs the phenomenological method for studying religion is Gerardus van der Leeuw. In his Religion in Essence and Manifestation (1933), he outlines what a phenomenology of religion should look like:
Firstly, argues van der Leeuw, the student of religion needs to classify the religious phenomena into distinct categories: e.g. sacrifice, sacrament, sacred space, sacred time, sacred word, festivals, and myth.
Secondly, scholars then need to interpolate the phenomena into the their own lives. That is to say, they need to empathetically (Einfühlung) try and understand the religion from within....The life examined by the religious studies scholar, insists van der Leeuw, needs to "acquire its place in the life of the student himself who should understand it out of his inner self."
Thirdly, van der Leeuw stresses perhaps the fundamental phenomenological principle, namely epoch, the suspension of value-judgements and the adoption of a neutral stance.
Fourthly, scholars needs to clarify any apparent structural relationships and make sense of the information. In so doing, they move towards a holistic understanding of how the various aspects of a religion relate and function together.
Fifthly, this leads naturally to a stage at which "all these activities, undertaken together and simultaneously, constitute genuine understanding : the chaotic and obstinate reality thus becomes a manifestation, a revelation" (eidetic vision).
Sixthly, having thus attained this general grasp, there is a continual need to make sure that it tallies with the up-to-date research of other disciplines, such as archaeology, history, philology etc. For van der Leeuw, as for other phenomenologists, the continual checking of one’s results is crucial to the maintenance of scholarly objectivity. In order to avoid degeneration into fantasy, phenomenology must always feed on facts.
Finally, having gone through the above six stages, the phenomenologist should be as close as anyone can be to an understanding of the meaning of the religious phenomena studied and be in a position to relate his understanding to others.
Most phenomenologists are aware of the fact that understanding is asymptotic and there will never be complete and absolute understanding. By setting aside metaphysical issues (such as a Christian phenomenologist would do with monotheism/polytheism while studying Hinduism), phenomenologists keep religious studies separate from theology and (hopefully) decrease their bias and come away with a more accurate picture.
Seven generally agreed upon features of phenomenology are as follows:
Phenomenologists tend to oppose the acceptance of unobservable matters and grand systems erected in speculative thinking;
Phenomenologists tend to oppose naturalism (also called objectivism and positivism), which is the worldview growing from modern natural science and technology that has been spreading from Northern Europe since the Renaissance;
Positively speaking, phenomenologists tend to justify cognition (and some also evaluation and action) with reference to what Edmund Husserl called Evidenz, which is awareness of a matter itself as disclosed in the most clear, distinct, and adequate way for something of its kind;
Phenomenologists tend to believe that not only objects in the natural and cultural worlds, but also ideal objects, such as numbers, and even conscious life itself can be made evident and thus known;
Phenomenologists tend to hold that inquiry ought to focus upon what might be called "encountering" as it is directed at objects and, correlatively, upon "objects as they are encountered" (this terminology is not widely shared, but the emphasis on a dual problematics and the reflective approach it requires is);
Phenomenologists tend to recognize the role of description in universal, a priori, or "eidetic" terms as prior to explanation by means of causes, purposes, or grounds; and
Phenomenologists tend to debate whether or not what Husserl calls the transcendental phenomenological epochê and reduction is useful or even possible.
source
Functionalism
Functionalism, in regard to religious studies, is the analysis of religions and their various communities of adherents using the functions of particular religious phenomena to interpret the structure of religious communities and their beliefs. A major criticism of functionalism is that it lends itself to teleological explanations. An example of a functionalist approach is understanding the dietary restrictions contained in the Pentateuch as having the function of promoting health or providing social identity (i.e. a sense of belonging though common practice).
Criticism of religious studies

A group of scholars have criticized religious studies beginning in the 1990s as a theological project which actually imposes views onto the people it aims to survey. Prominent voices in this critical view include Robert A. Orsi, Timothy Fitzgerald, Talal Asad, Tomoko Masuzawa, G.A. Oddie, Richard King, Russell T. McCutcheon, and Daniel Dubuisson. Their areas of research overlap heavily with postcolonial studies.
Influential figures

Karl Marx, Theses on Feuerbach (1845), and Das Kapital (1867)
James Frazer, The Golden Bough (1890)
Max Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1905)
Sigmund Freud, Totem and Taboo (1913), The Future of an Illusion (1927)
René Girard, Violence and the Sacred (1972)
Rudolf Otto, The Idea of the Holy (1917)
Carl Jung, Psychology and Religion: West and East (1938)
Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces (1949), The Power of Myth (1988)
Alan Watts, Myth and Ritual in Christianity (1953)needed
Clifford Geertz, The Religion of Java (1960)
Wilfred Cantwell Smith, The Meaning and End of Religion (1962)
E.E. Evans-Pritchard, Theories of Primitive Religion (1965)
Peter L. Berger, The Sacred Canopy (1967)
Ninian Smart, The Religious Experience of Mankind (1969) (retitled The Religious Experience in 1991 edition)
Victor Turner, The Ritual Process (1969)needed
J.Z. Smith, Map is not Territory: Studies in the History of Religions (1978)
David Chidester, Savage Systems: Colonialism and Comparative Religion in Southern Africa (1996)
Talal Asad, Genealogies of Religion: Discipline and Reasons of Power in Christianity and Islam (1993)needed
Mark C. Taylor, Critical Terms for Religious Studies (1998)
Tomoko Masuzawa, The Invention of World Religions (2005)
Bruce Lincoln, Discourse and the Construction of Society (1989)
Claude Lévi-Strauss, Tristes Tropiques (1955)
Caroline Walker Bynum, Fragmentation and Redemption: Essays on Gender and the Human Body in Medieval Religion (1991)
Catherine Bell, Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice (1992)
Charles H. Long, Significations: Signs, Symbols, and Images in the Interpretation of Religion (1986)
See also

List of religious scholars
Education
Sacred-profane dichotomy
Theories of religion
International Association for the Scientific Study of Religion
Religion and science
International Society for the Sociology of Religion
Religious education
References


Constructs such as ibid., loc. cit. and idem are discouraged by Wikipedias style guide for footnotes, as they are easily broken. Please improve this article by replacing them with named references (quick guide), or an abbreviated title. (October 2011)
^ McBrien, Richard P. Catholicism. New York: HarperCollins, 1994, p. 359.
^ Ibid.
^ a b
^
^ Kevin M. Schultz and Paul Harvey, “Everywhere and Nowhere: Recent Trends in American Religious History and Historiography,” Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 78 (March 2010), 129–62.
^ Newberg, Andrew; Eugene DAquili and Vince Raus (2001). Why God Wont Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief. New York: Ballantyne Books. ISBN 0-345-44033-1.
^ Kevin J. Christiano, et al., (2nd ed., 2008), Sociology of Religion: Contemporary Developments, Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7425-6111-3
^ Berger, Peter L. The Sacred Canopy: Elements of a Sociological Theory of Religion (1967). Anchor Books 1990 paperback: ISBN 0-385-07305-4
^ Journal of Religion and Society, Cross-National Correlations of Quantifiable Societal Health with Popular Religiosity and Secularism in the Prosperous Democracies
^ Daniel Dubuisson. "Exporting the Local: Recent Perspectives on Religion as a Cultural Category." Religion Compass 1.6 (2007).
^ a b c d e Pals, Daniel L. 1996. Seven Theories of Religion. USA: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-508725-9
^ Alles, Gregory D. "Religious studies: a global view". Psychology Press, 2007, p. 182.
Further reading

Durkheim, Emile. The Elementary Forms of Religious Life.
Eliade, Mircea. The Sacred and the Profane: The Nature of Religion. Translated by Willard R. Trask. San Diego: Harcourt, 1987.
Freud, Sigmund. The Future of an Illusion. Edited by James Strachey. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1989.
James, William. The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature. New York: Penguin, 1982.
Miles, Jack. God: A Biography. New York: Vintage, 1996.
Pals, Daniel L. Eight Theories of Religion. 2nd Edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.
Sloan Wilson, David. Darwins Cathedral: Evolution, Religion and the Nature of Society. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003.
Smith, Huston. The Worlds Religions. New York: HarperCollins, 1991.
Stark, Rodney. Discovering God: The Origins of Great Religions and the Evolution of Belief. New York: HarperCollins, 2007.
Steinbock, Anthony. "Phenomenology and Mysticism: The Verticality of Religious Experience". Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2009.
External links

The Institute for the Biocultural Study of Religion (IBCSR)
IBCSR Research Review - briefly annotates and furnishes online information about scholarly articles and books related to brain, behavior, culture, and religion.
The Religious Research Association
The Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (SSSR)
The Institute for the Study of American Religion
The International Society for the Sociology of Religion
Academic societies
Australian Association for the Study of Religions (AASR).
American Academy of Religion (AAR).
Council of Societies for the Study of Religion.
European Association for the Study of Religions (EASR).
International Association for the Cognitive Science of Religion (IACSR).
International Association for the History of Religions (IAHR).
International Philosophy of Religion Association (IPRA).
New Zealand Association for the Study of Religions (NZASR).
North American Association for the Study of Religion (NAASR).
Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (SSSR).
Online Works and Sources
Studying Religion: An Introduction
What is the Academic Study of Religion? A Students Perspective.
Functionalism
v t e
Religion
Major groups
Abrahamic
Baháí Faith Christianity Anglicanism Catholicism Orthodoxy Protestantism Mormonism Druze Islam Sunni Shia Sufi Ahmadiyya Quraniyoon Judaism Masorti Judaism (Conservative Movement) Karaite Orthodoxy Modern Orthodox Chassidic Charedi Reform Movement Samaritanism Mandaeism
Indian
Ayyavazhi Buddhism Theravada Mahayana Vajrayana Hinduism Shaktism Shaivism Smartism Vaishnavism Jainism Sikhism Ravidassia religion
Iranian
Ahl-e Haqq Baháí Faith Manichaeism Mazdak Mithraism Yazidi Zoroastrianism Zurvanism
East Asian
Confucianism Shinto Taoism Zen Hoa Hao Cao Dai Muism
Recent
Cheondoism Discordianism Eckankar I-Kuan Tao Neopaganism New Age New Thought Raëlism Rastafari Scientology Seicho-no-Ie Stregheria Tenrikyo Thelema Unification Church Unitarian Universalism Wicca
Indigenous
African Afro-American Indigenous Australian Chinese Finnish-Estonian Gurung Javanese Native American Philippine Tibetan (Bön) Polynesian
Ancient religions
Prehistoric
Paleolithic
Near East
Egyptian Mesopotamian Semitic
Indo-European
Celtic Germanic Greek Gnosticism Neoplatonism Illyro-Thracian Mithraism Roman Slavic Vedic Hinduism
Aspects
Apostasy / Disaffiliation Behaviour Beliefs Clergy Conversion Deities Denomination Faith Fire God Meditation Monasticism monk nun Mysticism Mythology Nature Ordination Orthodoxy Orthopraxy Prayer Ritual liturgy sacrifice Spirituality Supernatural Symbols Truth Water Worship
Theism
Animism Deism Monotheism Nontheism Panentheism Pantheism Polytheism Transtheism
Religious studies
Anthropology Comparative Development Evolutionary origin Evolutionary psychology History Philosophy Neurotheology Psychology Sociology Theology Theories Women
Religion and
society
Agriculture Business Clergy Monasticism Ordination Conversion Evangelism Missionary Proselytism Education Fanaticism Freedom Pluralism Syncretism Toleration Universalism Fundamentalism Growth Happiness Homosexuality Minorities National church Neo-fascism Political science Populations Schism Science State Theocracy Vegetarianism Violence Persecution Terrorism War Wealth
Secularism
and irreligion
Deism Agnosticism Atheism Criticism LaVeyan Satanism Deconstruction Irreligion by country Objectivism Secular theology Secularization Separation of church and state Unaffiliated
Lists
Index Outline Timeline Abrahamic prophets Deification Deities Founders Mass gatherings New religious movements Organizations Religions and spiritual traditions Scholars
Category Portal
View page ratings
Rate this page
Whats this?
Trustworthy
Objective
Complete
Well-written
I am highly knowledgeable about this topic (optional)

Submit ratings
Categories: Study of religionReligion and scienceAcademic disciplines

قس ترکی استانبولی

Din bilimleri, Dinle teolojik bakış açısıyla ve normatif yöntemlerle ve apolejetik (dini savunma) amaçla ilgilenen Teoloji veya ilahiyat ın aksine dinleri sosyal bilimler perspektifinden ve herhangi bir dini veya dinleri apolejetik (savunmacı) gaye gütmeden ve ideolojik muhalefet tavrı içine girmeden olgusal temelde araştıran ve analiz eden çeşitli sosyal bilim disiplinlerinin ortak adı. Araştırma Yöntemleri ve metodolojileri farklı olduğundan din bilimleri (science of religion veya Almancadaki tabirle Religionswissenschaft) ile teoloji (ilahiyat)birbirinden tümüyle olmasa da önemli ölçüde ayrılmaktadır. Bir teolog ile din bilimci arasındaki fark, birinin dini vahiy eksenli anlamaya diğerinin ise bilim perspektifi içinden bir dini veya tüm dinleri anlama ve açıklamaya çalışmasıdır. Hristiyanlıkta üniversitelerin teoloji bölümlerindeki Kutsal Kitap çalışmaları, misyonoloji (misyon bilimi) İslamiyette ilahiyat fakültelerindeki fıkıh, hadis, tefsir, kelam gibi alanlarla, dinleri sosyoloji, psikoloji, antropoloji, tarih gibi sosyal ve beşeri bilimler perspektifinden ele alan Din Sosyolojisi, Din Psikolojisi, Din Antropolojisi Din Fenomenolojisi gibi çeşitli alanlar birbirlerinden önemli ölçüde ayrılmaktadır.
Konu başlıkları
Din Bilimlerinin Tarihçesi



Max Müller
Din araştırmalarına duyulan ilginin tarihi Miletli Hecataeusa (M.Ö. 550-476) ve Herodotus (M.Ö. 484-425) kadar geri götürülebilir. Daha sonra Ortaçağda İslam bilginleri İran, Yahudi, Hristiyan ve Hint inanç ve pratiklerini araştırmışlardır. Dinler tarihi alanında ilk eser müslüman araştırmacı Muhammed Şehristaninin kısaca El-Milel ve Nihal (Dini Felsefi Gruplar üzerine Risale) olarak bilinen eseridir. Onikinci yüzyılda Peter the Venerable İslamiyeti araştırmış ve Kuranı Latinceye çevirmiştir.
Farklı dinlere olan bu ilginin tarihi eski de olsa akademik bir disiplin olarak Dini araştırmaların tarihi yenidir. Bir bilim olarak dini araştırmaların ondokuzuncu yüzyılda başladığı söylenebilir. Oxford Üniversitesinde Karşılaştırmalı dinler alanındaki ilk profesör Max Müller olmuştur. Müllerin bu alanın ilk önemli eserlerinden biri olan kitabının adı "Introduction to the Science of Religion" (Din Bilimine Giriş)tir.
18. ve 19. asırlardaki bilim, biyoloji, kültür ve tarih şeklinde ayrımlaşan bilgi dallarından kültür ve tarih daha sonra yine 19.yüzyılda "beşeri bilimler" adını almıştır. 18.yüzyılda Almanyada irrasyoneli yani duygu, arzu ve hayalin rolünü ön plana çıkaran Sturmund Drang hareketi ve J.G.Herder ile mitolojinin bir dünya görüşü olduğu ifade edilmeye başlanmıştı. Fransız ihtilali sonrasında geçmişe uygarlıklara yönelik (Hindistan, Mısır, İran medeniyetleri) araştırmalar ile arkeoloji, filoloji, etnografi gibi tarihi bilimler doğmuş böylelikle mukayeseli dinler ve filoloji çalışmalarına yol açılmış oldu. Bu gelişmeler sonucunda Hollandada C.P.Tiele (1830-1902) tarafından yönetilen düşünürler grubu, teoloji yerine dinler bilimini başlatmışlardır. İlk din bilimleri çalışmaları dini femonenin araştırmacının teolojik ve bilimsel yargılarını parantez içine almasını gerektirdiği fenomenoloji ile başladı.
Dini fenomen üzerine yoğunlaşan araştırmalar Fransaya da sıçradı ve orada College de Franceda tesis edilen Dinler Tarihi kürsüsü Albert Revillee (1826-1906) teslim edildi. Ernest Renan (1823-1892) bu harekete katıldı. Tiele ekolü çizgisinde bu hareket, dinin tarihi formlarından çok özü üzerine durdu.
18.yüzyıl sonu ve 19.yüzyıl başında Hollanda, Paris, Brüksel, Louvainde dinler tarihi kürsüleri kurulmuş; Pariste, Revue de lHistoire des religions ve Revue des religions dergilerinin, Louvainde de Meseonun çıkmaya başlaması, 11-23 Eylül 1893de Chicagoda Worlds Parliament of Religionsun toplanması gibi din bilimleri açısından önemli olaylar gerçekleştirilmiştir.
Doğmakta olan dinler bilimi, beşeri bilimlerin tarihi-kültürel ekseninde dokümanter bilgi ve teorik açılımlarla bugüne kadar gelişmiştir.
Din Bilimlerinde Din Tanımları

Farklı disiplinlere mensup bilim adamlarının dinlere getirdiği tanımlar bulunmaktadır. Din tanımlarını genel olarak teolojik, ahlaki, felsefi, psikolojik ve sosyolojik kategoriler altında ele alabiliriz.
Dinin Teolojik Tanımları: Teolojik tanıma göre din "Tanrı’ya inanma","manevi varlıklara inanç" yahut da "korkutucu hem de cezbedici olan bir gizem" şeklinde tanımlanabilmektedir.
Dinin Ahlaki Tanımları: Buna göre din, "duyguyla karışık ahlak" ve görevlerimizi yerine getirme bilincidir.
Dinin Psikolojik Tanımları: Friedrich Schleirmachere göre din, "derin deruni tecrübenin bir türüdür"
Dinin Sosyolojik Tanımları: Alman felsefecisi Harald Hoffding’e atfedilen ancak Durkheim Bronislaw Malinowski gibi antropologlar tarafından da kabul edilen sosyolojik din tanımı dini "değerlerin muhafazasıdır" olarak görür. Karl Marxa göre ise sosyal ve ekonomik gücü ellerinde bulunduranların kalabalıkları hakimiyetleri altına almakta kullandıkları bir güç olan din, "halkın afyonu"dur.
Dinin Felsefi Tanımları: Yirminci yüzyıl teologu Paul Tilliche göre din, hususi özneler, semboller ya da kavramlarda ifade edilen soyut bir ideayı ifade eden manevi varlıkla ilişkiye yönelik "nihai bir ilgidir"
Metodoloji

Din araştırmalarında kullanılan araştırma yöntemleri çeşitli başlıklar altında kategorileştirilmeye çalışılmıştır. Peter Berger “işlevsel ve özsel” (functional and substantive); Robert Wuthnow “ikici ve bütüncü” (dualistic and wholistic); Robert Segal ise (diğer birçokları tarafından kullanılan) “indirgemeci ve indirgemeci olmayan” (reductionistic and nonreductionistic) biçiminde ayrımlar yapmıştır. Bazı araştırmacılar ise Diltheyden aldıkları terimlerle kullanılan metodolojiyi iki ana başlık altında toplamaktadırlar. Buna göre din araştırmalarında kullanılan yöntem Verstehen (anlama/understanding) ve Erklären (açıklama/explanation) şeklinde ikiye ayrılmaktadır. Anlama yöntemi dini inananın bakış açısından "anlamaya" çalışırken "Açıklama" yönteminde tümdengelimsel mantık kurallarını takip eden tabii bilimler model alınmıştır. Bu modelde inanan kişinin seçiminden bağımsız olarak dini eylemleri "beyin faaliyetleri" veya "organizmanın çevresine tepkileri" şeklinde daha ziyade niceliksel yaklaşımla analiz edilmeye çalışılmaktadır. Marx, Freud, Ralph Burhoe, Radcliffe-Brown, Claude Levi Strauss araştırmalarında "açıklama" üzerine durmakta olan bilim adamlarından bazılarıdır.
Yukarıda kısaca ifade edilen iki metodolojik yaklaşım olmasına rağmen her iki yöntemi de kullanan bazı araştırmacılar bulunabilmektedir. Örneğin Weber dinin kökenini ve tarihini açıklamaya çalışmakla birlikte karakteristik tipler ve fikri sistemleri de dinin anlaşılmasında kullanabilmektedir.
Din Bilimleri ve Teoloji

Din bilimleri dinin ve dinlerin teolojik metotlar yerine sosyal bilim alanı içinde araştırılması amacıyla Avrupada doğmuşlardır. Başlangıçta sosyoloji, antropoloji, tarih gibi çeşitli alanlarda gelişmiş ve uzmanlaşma ile bu dalların alt dalı olarak gelişmesini sürdürmüştür. Örnek olarak din sosyolojisinin kurucusu aynı zamanda sosyolojinin de isim babası olan Auguste Comtedur. Durkheim ve Weberin de din sosyolojine katkısı olan eserleri bulunmaktadır.
Din Bilimlerinde Bazı İsimler

Eserlerin orijinallerinin basım tarihleridir.
Karl Marx, Feuerbach Üzerine Tezler(1845) ve Kapital (Das Kapital) (1867)
James Frazer, Altın Dal (The Golden Bough) (1890)
William James, Dini Deneyimlerin Çeşitlilikleri (The Varieties of Religious Experience) (1902)
Max Weber, Protestan Ahlakı ve Kapitalizmin Ruhu (The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism) (1905)
Émile Durkheim, Dini Hayatın İlkel Biçimleri (1912)
Sigmund Freud, Totem ve Taboo (1913), Bir İllüzyonun Geleceği (1927)
Rudolf Otto, The Idea of the Holy (1917)
Carl Jung, Psikoloji ve Din: Doğu ve Batı (1938)
Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces (1949), The Power of Myth (1988)
Alan Watts, Myth and Ritual in Christianity (1953) belirtilmeli
Mircea Eliade, Kutsal ve Dışdışı (The Sacred and the Profane) (1957)
Huston Smith, The Religions of Man (1958) (The Worlds Religions başlığıyla 1991de tekrar basıldı) belirtilmeli
Clifford Geertz, The Religion of Java (1960)
Wilfred Cantwell Smith, The Meaning and End of Religion (1962)
E.E. Evans-Pritchard, Theories of Primitive Religion (1965)
Peter L. Berger, The Sacred Canopy (1967)
Ninian Smart, The Religious Experience of Mankind (1969) (1991 baskısının adı The Religious Experience )
Victor Turner, The Ritual Process (1969) belirtilmeli
J.Z. Smith, Map is not Territory: Studies in the History of Religions (1978) belirtilmeli
Talal Asad, Genealogies of Religion: Discipline and Reasons of Power in Christianity and Islam (1993)
Türkiyede Din Bilim

İslam ülkelerin tarihine bakıldığında farklı dinlere olan ilginin kaynağının oldukça eski tarihlere kadar geri gittiği görülmektedir. Özellikle Hindistandaki Türk-Moğol hakimiyeti sırasında Hint dinlerine geniş bir ilgi olmuştur. Harezmli Biruninin gittiği Hindistanda Sanskritçe öğrenip yazdığı Kitabüt Tahkîk Mâlil Hind Hind dini ve kültürü hakkında geniş bilgi veren dikkat çekici eserlerden biridir. Yine Ekber, Hint kutsal metinlerini çevirmiştir hatta Din-i İlahi adında farklı dinlerden unsurları biraraya getirdiği senkretik bir hareket ortaya çıkarmıştır.
Türkiyeye gelince farklı dinlere duyulan araştırma merakının daha az olduğu görülmektedir. İslam diniyle ilgili ilk bilimsel çalışmaların tarihi de oldukça yenidir. Başta Ziya Gökalp olmak üzere Hilmi Ziya Ülken, Erol Güngör gibi yazarlar İslamiyetin toplumsal yönü üzerine ilk öncü araştırmaları yapmışlar ancak genel olarak İslamiyet ve özelde de diğer dinler üzerine Batıdaki sosyal bilim disiplini içerisinden yapılan araştırmaların çok kısıtlı sayıda kaldığı görülmüştür. Bunun başlıca iki ana sebebi olduğu söylenebilir:
1- Türkiyede din bilimlerinin ilahiyat alanı içinde ve ona destek olmak üzere okutulması gerektiği şeklindeki inanç ve düşünce. Bu yaklaşım sebebiyle din bilimleri alanındaki çalışmaların bir kısmı temel yaklaşımları itibariyle hala ilahiyat çizgisinden ayrılabilmiş değildir.
2-Dinin ve dinlerin sosyal bilim mantığı içerisinde araştırılmasının önünde duran engellerden diğeri din veya dinlerin red veya kabul, iman ve inkar şeklindeki ideolojik ve siyasi seçimlerin çerçevesi içerisinden değerlendirilmeye çalışılmasıdır. Sözkonusu iki kutuplu yaklaşımın tarihsel, siyasal ve kültürel bazı gerekçeleri olsa bile günümüzün sosyal bilimlerinin ve din bilimlerinin temel mantığının dinlerin kökenlerini araştırmak, bir kökenbilim geneology çıkarmak değil dinlerin toplum, kültür ve birey ile ilişkisini olgular düzeyinde araştırmak olduğu unutulmamalıdır.
Yararlanılan Kaynaklar

Cox, James L.; Kutsalı Anlamak, çev. Fuat AYDIN, İz Yayıncılık, İstanbul, 2003.
Harman, Ömer Faruk Harman; Günümüzde Batıda Dinler Tarihi Çalışmaları, Dinler Tarihi Araştırmaları I.Sempozyum 08-09 Ankara, Kasım 1996.
Kepnes, Steven D.; Din Araştırmalarında Açıklama ve Anlama Yöntemleri Arasındaki Uçurumu Telif Etmek, çev. Bekir Zakir Çoban, Dinbilimleri Akademik Araştırma Dergisi II (2002), Sayı: 1, ss. 171-181
Wach,Joachim; Din Bilimi (Religionswissenschaft), çev.Adil Özdemir, Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi İlahiyat Fakültesi Dergisi Sayı : VIII, İzmir 1994.
Wikipedia
Notlar

^ a b c d e f g Pals, Daniel L. 1996. Seven Theories of Religion. USA: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-508725-9
Ayrıca bakınız

Din
İslam
İlahiyat
Din Felsefesi
Din Sosyolojisi
Dinler Tarihi
Din Psikolojisi
Din Fenomenolojisi
Din Antropolojisi
Oryantalizm
Kişiler

Ömer Faruk Harman
Mircea Eliade
Emile Durkheim
Karl Marx
Max Weber
Carl Jung
Gerardus van der Leeuw
Rudolf Otto
Joachim Wach
Paul Tillich
Ninian Smart
Makale-Bağlantılar

Din ve İnsan Tecrübesi
Din Bilimi
Din Bilimlerinin Tarihçesi
Türkçe Web Bağlantıları

Dinbilimleri Akademik Araştırma Merkezi

Din Bilimleri
Dinler Tarihi
Yabancı Web Bağlantıları

Religious Studies-Wikipedia
Anthropology of Religion
New Religious Movements
Studies of New Religions
The Internet Sacred Text Archive
Kategori: Din bilimleri

قس روسی
Религиове́дение или религиеведение (слово состоит из религия и ве́дение) — область научных исследований, предметом которой являются все существовавшие в прошлом и существующие ныне религии.
Религиоведение следует отличать от богословия (теологии).
Содержание
Предмет религиоведения

Религиоведение как комплексная относительно самостоятельная область знания складывалось начиная с XIX века, хотя соответствующие знания накапливались в течение веков. Оно конституировалось на стыке общей и социальной философии, истории философии, социологии, антропологии, психологии, всеобщей истории, этнологии, археологии и других наук. Религиоведение изучает закономерности возникновения, развития и функционирования религии, её строение и различные компоненты, её многообразные феномены, как они представали в истории общества, взаимосвязь и взаимодействие религии и других областей культуры. При таком варианте определения предмета религиоведения речь идет о том, что религия воспринимается не как конкретная изучаемая реальность, но, скорее, как абстрактный конструкт; так, на кафедре религиоведения факультета истории, искусствоведения и востоковедения Лейпцигского университета: «Предмет религиоведения суть систематическое исследование религии как части человеческой культуры и историческое исследование религий в прошлом и настоящем».
Объектом религиоведения является религия, однако по поводу предмета существуют разные точки зрения. Проблема, прежде всего, заключается в том, что религию изучают также история, философия, социология, психология, культурология, этнография (антропология в западном смысле слова), экология, география и другие науки. Религиоведение отличается от них тем, что исследует религию в соответствии с наработанными в своей истории методами, подходами и установками.
Так, в мировом научном сообществе религиоведение уже более сотни лет считается целостной наукой, тогда как в современной России до сих пор его относят к области философских наук.
Разделы религиоведения

философия религии
социология религии
психология религии
феноменология религии
семиотика религии
история религии
См. также

Критика религии
Наука и религия
Примечания

↑ Гараджа В. И. Религиеведение // Новая философская энциклопедия: в 4 т. Т. 3. / Ин-т философии РАН; Нац. обществ.-науч. фонд; Предс. научно-ред. совета В. С. Степин. — М.: Мысль, 2000—2001. — С. 435—436. ISBN 5-244-00961-3. (копия статьи)
↑ РелигиеведениеЕ, Религиоведение // Большой толковый словарь русского языка. — 1-е изд-е: СПб.: Норинт. С. А. Кузнецов. 1998.
↑ Худякова Г. П. Новая специальность — «Религиоведение». // Сибирская православная газета, 2008. — № 07
↑ Universität Leipzig. Religionswissenschaft. (нем.)
Литература

Алов А. А., Владимиров Н. Г., Овсиенко Ф. Г. Мировые религии. — М., 1998.
Аринин, Е. И., Тюрин Ю. Я. Религиозная антропология: Учеб. пособие для студентов спец. «Религиоведение»: в 2 ч. — Владимир: Ред.-издат. комплекс ВлГУ, 2005. — 124 с. — ISBN 5-89368-571-7.
Аринин Е. И. Религиоведение и теология: свое и чужое // Проблемы преподавания и современное состояние религиоведения в России: Материалы конференций (Москва, 2000—2001 гг.) / Под. ред. И. Н. Потылицыной. — М.: Рудомино, 2003 — С. 76-80.
Аринин Е. И. Религиоведение (Введение в основные концепции и термины): Учеб. пособие. — М.: Академический проект, 2004.
Аринин Е. И., Нефедова И. Д. Психология религии: Учеб. пособие для студентов специальности «Религиоведение». — Владимир: Ред.-издат. комплекс ВлГУ, 2005. — 108 с. — ISBN 5-89368-572-5.
Арсенкин В. К. В поисках духовных наследников. — М.: Политиздат, 1975. — 88 с.
Бачинин В. А. Религиоведение: Энциклопедический словарь. — СПб.: Изд-во В. А. Михайлова, 2005.
Буайе Ж. Ф. Империя Муна / Пер. с фр. — М.: Политиздат, 1990. — 352 с. — ISBN 5-250-00384-2
Васильев Л. С. История религий: Учеб. пособие вузов. — М.: КДУ, 2008. — 791 с. — ISBN 978-985-16-5676-5 (в пер.) ISBN 978-985-16-6172-1
Введение в общее религиоведение: Учеб. для студентов вузов / Н. Яблоков и др.; под ред. И. Н. Яблокова. — М.: КДУ, 2008. — 471 с. — ISBN 978-5-98227-536-3
Всемирное писание: сравнительная антология священных текстов. М., 1996.
Гараджа В. И. Религиоведение: Учеб. пособие для студентов высш. учеб. заведений и преподавателей сред. шк. — М.: Аспект-Пресс, 1995. — 348 с. — ISBN 5-7567-0007-2
Гараджа В. И. Религиеведение // Новая философская энциклопедия. В 4 т. — М.: Мысль, 2001. — Т. 3. — С. 435—436.
Гордиенко Н.С. Основы религиоведения. СПб., 1997.
Григоренко А. Ю. Религиоведение: Учеб. пособие для студентов педагогических вузов.
Гуманизм, атеизм, религия / отв. ред.: П. Курочк:, Н. Мизов. — М. : Политиздат, 19
انگلیسیtheology
عربیعلم اللاهوت، علم التوحيد، لاهوت، نظرية لاهوتية