Religious persecution, refugees, and right of asylum. On essentialism and real definitions of religion journal of. So, next to rattray and parrinder, a presentday theologian has contributed to the study of the akan religion. However, as several researchers have pointed out, the nonconfessional models can be marinated in confessional religion. The pragmatics of defining religion contexts, concepts. Defining religion is a notoriously intractable subject among scholars. The page numbers of the original publication are indicated between square brackets and are set in bold. The definition of religion is a controversial and complicated subject in religious studies with. A limitative approach dialogues on work and innovation, religion and reason, 24 platvoet, j. The following definition, suggested by james martineau, is of this type. Pentecostalization brings back this african concept of religion without worship groups defined. Geoffrey parrinder and the study of god in african indigenous religions, in charles guittard ed.
In order to constitute itself as secular, the secular state is not only dependent on having a concept of religion as its negative reference. He is past president of division 36 of the american psychological association and a recipient of its william james award. The pragmatics of defining religion contexts, concepts and. The impact of african traditional religious beliefs and.
Contexts, concepts and contests, leiden, 1999 for a discussion of the problem of defining religion. The problem of the definition of religion, in jan platvoet and arie molendijk, eds. An ambitious survey of existing scholarship sponsored by the european union produced in 1999 a tick volume, concluding that academics offer many irreconcilable definitions of religion, and no agreement exists platvoet and molendijk 1999. Author links open overlay panel elizabeth mohkamsingden boer a hetty zock b. Sorry, we are unable to provide the full text but you may find it at the following locations. He is a former editor of the journal for the scientific study of religion and a former coeditor of the archive for the psychology of religion and the international journal for the psychology of religion. Defining religion and spirituality request pdf researchgate. It covers the full breadth of current international scholarship in the field, featuring articles on contemporary religious phenomena as well as on historical themes, theoretical contributions besides. Platvoet describes the spiritpossession of the akan the bono from the brongahafo region from a. The introduction provides an overview of recent attempts to measure.
This is an open access document downloaded from orca, cardiff. Dreams of passage an objectrelational perspective on a case of a hindu death ritual. By religion, then, i understand a propitiation or conciliation of powers superior to man which are believed to direct and control the course of nature and of human life james george frazer, the golden bough. A good example of a narrow definition being too narrow is the common attempt to define religion as belief in god, effectively excluding polytheistic religions and atheistic religions while including theists who have no religious belief system. Contexts, concepts and contests 1999 especially 260261. The definition of religion is a controversial and complicated subject in religious studies with scholars failing to agree on any one definition. Numen the official journal of the international association for the history of religions iahr is one of the worlds leading journals devoted to the academic study of religions. A case study of nkusukumekumfienyan area of the central region. Victoria harrison university of glasgow this is an archived version of the pragmatics of defining religion in a multicultural world, published in the international journal for philosophy of religion 59. Secularity and religious freedom are at the core of the identity of modern democracies. Religion and spirituality are topics of increasing interest in western culture, and in psychological research and practice. A cultural studies approach to the study of religion in secondary education. This article claims to uncover the core problematics that have made the debate on defining and conceptualizing religion so difficult and argues that this makes it possible to move beyond radical deconstruction towards reconstructing the concept for.
It is a religion that is practised by living men and women. To understand how religion relates to wellbeing, it is important to consider the beliefs and practices of the worlds main religions. The pragmatics of defining religion in a multicultural world. People outside the study of religion usually assume that scholars of religion are able to provide a real definition of religion. Ancient mediterranean religions cambridge scholars. Nov, 2018 the volume has contributions from scholars in philosophy of religion, the comparative study of religions, anthropology of religion, sociology of religion and psychology of religion. The need for a universal definition volume 20 issue 2 russell sandberg. A case for preliminary definitions in jan g platvoet and arie l molendijk eds. Arie on a semantic definition of religion the pragmatics of defining religion. Strictly speaking, psychology of religion consists of the application of psychological methods and interpretive frameworks to the diverse contents of religious traditions as well as to both religious and irreligious individuals. Ucc library and ucc researchers have made this item openly.
I do somewhat disagree with the jump between two different periods of time but this jump is understandable once you read through the whole book. Searches in psycinfo show that both terms are cited in the titles of an. Europeans arriving in africa did not recognize african religion, because africans did not have the kind of belief and community characteristic of european concepts of religion. The declared adherents of the indigenous religion are very conservative, resisting the. Pdf there is no universal definition of religion under english law. The literature on defining religion is vast, but a general consensus has not materialized and it has been argued that this should make us realize that the task is beyond us. Victoria harrison university of glasgow this is an archived version of the pragmatics of defining religion in a multicultural world, published in the international journal for philosophy of religion 59 2006. Dreams of passage an objectrelational perspective on a. It has chapters on the polemics of defining religion in modern contexts, the history of the concept of religion, and the methodology of its definition. This volume promotes a pragmatic, antiessentialist and antihegemonic approach to the problem of the definition of religion.
Arguing that a universal definition of religion under english law is now needed. Religion is the belief in spiritual beings edward b tylor, primitive culture 2. Since ive been attacked by these people myself i should let you know something about them and what they stand for. The impact of african traditional religious beliefs and cultural values on christian muslim relations in ghana from 1920 through the present. Platvoet and van rinsum describe precolonial african religions as follows.
Curriculum for knowledge of christianity, religion, philosophies of life and ethics krle. Request pdf defining religion and spirituality religion and spirituality are topics of increasing interest in western culture, and in psychological research and. Through modern changes, the traditional religion cannot remain intact but it is by no means extinct. Contexts, concepts and contests studies in the history of religions numen book platvoet, molendijk, arie, belier, byrne ma. But the reason religion has been so successful in the course of human history is. Beckford, j, the politics of defining religion in secular society in platvoet, j and molendij, a eds, the pragmatics of defining religion. Religious modes of thinking about the world are widespread in africa, and have a pervasive influence on politics in the broadest sense. The main thesis of this work is an argument that the study of religions can be for one part of students an important component of their individual religious development. If the inline pdf is not rendering correctly, you can download the pdf file.
Pdf clarifying the definition of religion under english law. The politics of defining religion in secular society in platvoet, j and molendijk, a eds. Religions free fulltext religion without belief and. Definitions of religion also exist in the exceptions from discrimination law afforded to religious groups. As for african religion, many people say that it is not easy to define. As a result they have ended up defining african religion using terminologies, which are misleading. Sociological definitions, language games and the essence of religion pdf. A limitative approach dialogues on work and innovation, religion and reason, 24. Karl marx ideology karl marx, theses on feuerbach, german ideology, ludwig feuerbach and the.
We have published elsewhere a theoretical model as to how the relationship between politics and religion may be understood, with potential benefits for observers not just of africa, but also of other parts of the world where new combinations of religion and. Platvoet describes parrinders work as being decontextualised. Religious education appears in many different models and varies between educational systems and national contexts. The concept of religion has never been uncontentious. Professor james cox religion and society research cluster. Submitted by francis acquah to the university of exeter as a thesis for the degree of doctor of philosophy in theology in december 2011. The anticult movement is a loose collection of individuals and organizations who are involved in attacking alternative spiritual teachers, small religious movements or groups, and support those who are against nonmainstream religions. They have described african traditional religion as magic, animism, primitive religion, ancestor worship and many more wrong. It has made scholars fail to understand and explain it fully. Oxford dictionary defines religion as the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal god or gods. Platvoet, 9789004115446, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Pdf definition as analytical strategy in the study of religion.
Pdf definition as analytical strategy in the study of. This chapter explores the relationship between the selfrating as spiritual and mysticism as measured by hoods mysticism scale. The extraordinary range of methods and frameworks can be helpfully summed up regarding the classic distinction between the naturalscientific and humanscientific. Ciencia da religiao wikipedia, a enciclopedia livre.
He has published on the traditional religion of the akan of southern ghana, the study of religions in africa, spirit possession, the study of rituals, and the history and methodology. The politics of defining religion in secular society in j g platvoet and. Definition as analytical strategy in the study of religion article pdf available in historical reflections 253. This is an open access document downloaded from orca. Religious typologies and the postmodern critique, method and. In developing a 5 see jan platvoet and arie molendijk, eds. To be in the position of guaranteeing religious freedom, it needs to define religion in a positive way. Theoretical and philosophical soundings in the comparative and general study. Michael pyes definition of religion is in a different tradition, the til lichiangeertzian one. The norwegian directorate for education and training 2015. Knowledge about religions and analytical skills in. Pdf clarifying the definition of religion under english.
Clarifying the definition of religion under english law. This thesis is developed against the background of a threepart definition of religion, according to which religion in general may manifest in the form of. Empirical method in the study of esotericism 1 wouter j. The new age movement represents the historically innovative phenomenon of a secular type of religion based upon a radically private symbolism.
Law and the art of defining religion ecclesiastical law. The pragmatics of defining religion in a multicultural world dr. In most national contexts, regardless of the model on. The anticult movement and its suppression of spiritual. Their coupling, however, generates a double dilemma. Religion plays an important role in the lives of many people. Very insightful if you want a slightly different approach to the question of what african american religion actually entails. Religion in africa is in many respects becoming religion without belief and community again, i will argue in this article. Theoretically, religious education is usually divided into confessional and nonconfessional models. Jensen jeppe sinding the study of religion in a new key. Law, anthropology, and the definition of religion 1995 6 seton hall constitutional law journal 23 70. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext.
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