RLGA02H3 Chapter 1: Defining Religion
Document Summary
Religion refers to an institutional sphere, distant from other institutional sphere (education, politics, or the economy) Religion involves services that take place in buildings (church, temples, etc. ) No one has been able to define or come to an agreement about what it is. Many scholars say defining religion is a waste of time. Many individuals define their religion in different ways that contrast to another person. Study of religion started from western folk (protestant christianity) Western folk concept assumes that religion constitutes a distinct institutional sphere of activity, but for most non-western societies the notion of religion as a separate institutional sphere is absent. Japanese individuals referred to western folk religion as shukyo. However, they did not apply this to their faith shinto. Okay for japanese individuals to visit a religious location but not join it. They saw the two completely different (not institutionally distinct) Western folk believes there is this two part connection god and human, supernatural and natural.
