HUMA 1845 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Polytheism, New Approach, Hajj
12 Dec 2016
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Lecture 1: introduction: religion and the study of religions. Religion- latin religio (to bind, to relate) 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. In what ways does it bind: binds people together in world communities, binds the material world with the unseen world (transcendent world/spirituality) Symbols- cross for christians, the crescent for muslims. How to study religion: as a believer- what do you want to know: how to practice it, behaviours, you may not necessarily study the history, aspects of the theology, as a scholar- University, humanities departments: religious studies, focus on the believers-what they believe, how they respond to their perception of the. Higher reality focus on what the believers believe: non-normative approach. Assume that we have access to beliefs that believers hold. Scriptures passed down from human hands, and humans.
