The introduction provides an overview of recent attempts to measure. Law and the art of defining religion ecclesiastical law. A limitative approach dialogues on work and innovation, religion and reason, 24 platvoet, j. Religious education appears in many different models and varies between educational systems and national contexts. 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. The problem of the definition of religion, in jan platvoet and arie molendijk, eds. Karl marx ideology karl marx, theses on feuerbach, german ideology, ludwig feuerbach and the.
Secularity and religious freedom are at the core of the identity of modern democracies. In developing a 5 see jan platvoet and arie molendijk, eds. Pdf clarifying the definition of religion under english. Religions free fulltext religion without belief and.
The following definition, suggested by james martineau, is of this type. Pdf definition as analytical strategy in the study of religion. It has made scholars fail to understand and explain it fully. Definition as analytical strategy in the study of religion article pdf available in historical reflections 253. Defining religion and spirituality request pdf researchgate.
Definitions of religion also exist in the exceptions from discrimination law afforded to religious groups. Submitted by francis acquah to the university of exeter as a thesis for the degree of doctor of philosophy in theology in december 2011. 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. Empirical method in the study of esotericism 1 wouter j. The page numbers of the original publication are indicated between square brackets and are set in bold.
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. 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. As a result they have ended up defining african religion using terminologies, which are misleading. Through modern changes, the traditional religion cannot remain intact but it is by no means extinct. To be in the position of guaranteeing religious freedom, it needs to define religion in a positive way. Platvoet and van rinsum describe precolonial african religions as follows. 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.
The declared adherents of the indigenous religion are very conservative, resisting the. 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. Curriculum for knowledge of christianity, religion, philosophies of life and ethics krle. In most national contexts, regardless of the model on. Theoretically, religious education is usually divided into confessional and nonconfessional models. Contexts, concepts and contests 1999 especially 260261. Platvoet describes the spiritpossession of the akan the bono from the brongahafo region from a. The definition of religion is a controversial and complicated subject in religious studies with scholars failing to agree on any one definition. The pragmatics of defining religion in a multicultural world. It is a religion that is practised by living men and women. Oxford dictionary defines religion as the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal god or gods. The extraordinary range of methods and frameworks can be helpfully summed up regarding the classic distinction between the naturalscientific and humanscientific.
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. 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. A cultural studies approach to the study of religion in secondary education. Very insightful if you want a slightly different approach to the question of what african american religion actually entails. Religion plays an important role in the lives of many people. Ancient mediterranean religions cambridge scholars. Clarifying the definition of religion under english law. This is an open access document downloaded from orca, cardiff. Since ive been attacked by these people myself i should let you know something about them and what they stand for. Religious persecution, refugees, and right of asylum.
This volume promotes a pragmatic, antiessentialist and antihegemonic approach to the problem of the definition of religion. 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. Geoffrey parrinder and the study of god in african indigenous religions, in charles guittard ed. 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. 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. Professor james cox religion and society research cluster. Beckford, j, the politics of defining religion in secular society in platvoet, j and molendij, a eds, the pragmatics of defining religion. Law, anthropology, and the definition of religion 1995 6 seton hall constitutional law journal 23 70. 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. This chapter explores the relationship between the selfrating as spiritual and mysticism as measured by hoods mysticism scale.
Ciencia da religiao wikipedia, a enciclopedia livre. In order to constitute itself as secular, the secular state is not only dependent on having a concept of religion as its negative reference. Contexts, concepts and contests, leiden, 1999 for a discussion of the problem of defining religion. Sociological definitions, language games and the essence of religion pdf. Arie on a semantic definition of religion the pragmatics of defining religion. The definition of religion is a controversial and complicated subject in religious studies with.
The impact of african traditional religious beliefs and. The pragmatics of defining religion in a multicultural world dr. 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. 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. 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.
However, as several researchers have pointed out, the nonconfessional models can be marinated in confessional religion. Religion is the belief in spiritual beings edward b tylor, primitive culture 2. Request pdf defining religion and spirituality religion and spirituality are topics of increasing interest in western culture, and in psychological research and. 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. Pdf definition as analytical strategy in the study of. A case for preliminary definitions in jan g platvoet and arie l molendijk eds. 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.
The concept of religion has never been uncontentious. Dreams of passage an objectrelational perspective on a case of a hindu death ritual. To understand how religion relates to wellbeing, it is important to consider the beliefs and practices of the worlds main religions. 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. Pdf clarifying the definition of religion under english law.
Author links open overlay panel elizabeth mohkamsingden boer a hetty zock b. On essentialism and real definitions of religion journal of. He is past president of division 36 of the american psychological association and a recipient of its william james award. The need for a universal definition volume 20 issue 2 russell sandberg. Arguing that a universal definition of religion under english law is now needed. A limitative approach dialogues on work and innovation, religion and reason, 24. Searches in psycinfo show that both terms are cited in the titles of an. Pdf there is no universal definition of religion under english law. So, next to rattray and parrinder, a presentday theologian has contributed to the study of the akan religion. Sorry, we are unable to provide the full text but you may find it at the following locations. The norwegian directorate for education and training 2015. 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 politics of defining religion in secular society in j g platvoet and.
The pragmatics of defining religion contexts, concepts. Jensen jeppe sinding the study of religion in a new key. Their coupling, however, generates a double dilemma. Pentecostalization brings back this african concept of religion without worship groups defined.
Religious typologies and the postmodern critique, method and. The new age movement represents the historically innovative phenomenon of a secular type of religion based upon a radically private symbolism. A case study of nkusukumekumfienyan area of the central region. Religion and spirituality are topics of increasing interest in western culture, and in psychological research and practice. As for african religion, many people say that it is not easy to define. Theoretical and philosophical soundings in the comparative and general study. Dreams of passage an objectrelational perspective on a. The politics of defining religion in secular society in platvoet, j and molendijk, a eds. The pragmatics of defining religion contexts, concepts and. Platvoet describes parrinders work as being decontextualised. The anticult movement and its suppression of spiritual. Ucc library and ucc researchers have made this item openly. Defining religion is a notoriously intractable subject among scholars. 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.
240 887 102 976 384 766 1008 1432 212 344 419 248 1218 137 337 1302 288 1325 939 723 159 239 22 858 385 187 109 569 1499 804 814 193 578 697 533 385 85 1078 1030 1210