The Encyclopedia of World Religions

religion, study of S 381

This kind of thinking includes Jewish, Christian, and Islamic theologies, as well as Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Confucian, and Taoist philosophies. All of these movements have to some degree influenced the study of religions in North America. But the most influential tradition has been that of Europe. In Europe critical reflection on religion arose in ancient Greece. Ancient writers known as mythog raphers compiled myths and legends. Geographers and travelers described the religions of the people they visited. Above all, Greek and Roman philoso phers like Xenophanes, Euhemerus, Lucretius, and Cicero strongly criticized the gods of mythology, without necessarily denying some higher G OD or force altogether. In the fourth century C . E . C HRISTIANITY became the official religion of the Roman Empire. For more than a thousand years it defined the setting with which Europeans studied religions. Theologians worked out Christian teachings in great detail. They also took up topics in the philosophy of religion. For example, they tried to prove that God exists ( see G OD , THE EXISTENCE OF ). But despite some rich cultural exchanges among Jews, Christians, and Muslims, knowledge of other religions generally remained marked by profound antagonism. In the 17th and 18th centuries the movement known as the Enlightenment gave rise to a search for “natural religion.” “Natural religion” meant the few propositions that all religions were (falsely) thought to share: belief in God, in the soul, and in rewards and punishments after death. At the same time, the growth of European colonialism meant that Europeans became more aware of the outside world and scholars had more material at their dis posal. At this time, too, thinkers like David Hume began to write accounts of religious history that diverged from the story found in the B IBLE . During the 19th century historical approaches to religions, including Christianity, flourished. At times the tension with orthodox theologians was severe. By the end of the century people had begun to study religions comparatively and as facets of human society, personality, and culture. During the 20th century these approaches to reli gion—humanistic, sociological, psychological, and

CRITICISM At the beginning of the 21st century many schol ars had expressed strong doubts about the history of religion. They doubted whether it makes sense to talk about religion as a single thing that exists across cultures. They asked whether it makes sense to fault scholars for trying to explain reli gious thought and behavior in terms of human psychology or sociology, and whether this pro hibition is not opposed to the ideals of scholarly work. Furthermore, they have accused Otto, van der Leeuw, Wach, and Eliade of presenting Jew ish and Christian ideas as if they were found in all religions everywhere. These criticisms raise important questions. At the same time, events in the early 21st century such as the September 11, 2001, attacks, point out just how important it is for people to know about the world’s religions. Work by historians of religion who study specific religions and religious topics can play a crucial role in providing that knowledge. Further reading: Mircea Eliade, Patterns in Comparative Religion (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1996); Charles H. Long, Significations: Signs, Symbols, and Images in the Interpretation of Religion (Aurora, Colo.: Davies Group, 1999); Russell T. McCutcheon, Manufacturing Religion: The Discourse on Sui Generis Religion and the Politics of Nostalgia (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997); Ninian Smart, Worldviews: Crosscultural Explorations of Human Beliefs, 3d ed. (Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2000); Jonathan Z. Smith, Map Is Not Territory: Studies in the History of Religions (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993). religion, study of Careful reflection, writing, and speaking about religions, generally within the context of an educational institution. HISTORY For centuries thinkers have carefully formulated and elaborated the teachings of their own religions.