The
study of religion as an academic discipline has some basic problems. This article
is dedicated to the examination of the multi-faceted problems that face the
study of religion. This article marks the end of the section that deals with the
study of religion as an academic discipline.
By
the end of this article, you will be able to discuss the problems facing the
study of religion due to the nature of religion itself, highlight the obstacles
that personal biases pose to the study of religion, identify the social issues
involved in the study of religion, discuss the political angle to the study of
religion and examine the problem the economy poses to the study of religion.
Top 5 Problems in the Study of Religion
1. The Nature of Religion
One
of the major problems facing the study of religion has to do with the nature of
religion itself. Religion by its very nature is an attempt to study and
understand the supernatural. This is the most ironic of all the problems of the
study of religion. This is because in reality, it is highly impossible for the
natural to study the supernatural.
In
addition, the fact remains that religion is highly subjective. It has to do
with the issues of what people believe, and what their values are.
Consequently,
most of the data to be collected in the study of religion are mot
scientifically verifiable as is the case of other fields of study.
For
example, in the realm of the sciences, it is possible to observe for example,
how many times per second the heart beats and state it categorically; or to
identify the various reactions that the mixture of certain chemicals will give.
In
the realm of the social sciences too, it is possible to do statistical analysis
to measure certain things to a certain degree. For example, you can measure the
reaction of a certain group of people to certain events and arrive at a
postulation.
However,
in the study of religion, it is impossible to measure whether someone believes
what he/she says he/she believes. The realm of religion is thus viewed in the
light of subjectivity, and this is what makes the study of religion from an
academic perspective very problematic.
2. Personal Biases
Another
great obstacle to the study of religion is the subjectivity of the researcher
which intervenes with the study of religion more often than not. It has always
been very difficult for most scholars of religion to separate their personal
faith from the study of religion as an academic discipline.
In
fact, the veracity of this point can be seen in the fact that even if an
atheist studies religion, he/she would be doing so from an atheistic point of
view.
Let
us cite some practical examples: if a Christian is studying the Islamic religion,
most of the time he/she evaluates the teachings, doctrines and practices of the
Islamic faith from the perspective of his/her own Christian faith and vice
versa.
For
example, Christians may criticise Muslims for denying the divinity of Jesus
Christ, while Muslims on the other hand may criticise Christians for serving
three gods. To obtain objective results in the study of religion however, all
forms of personal biases must be removed.
Also read: 7 Various Approaches to the Study of Religion
3. Social Problems
The
social issues involved in the study of religion are due to the fact that
because religion has a sociological dimension and it usually overlaps with
religion to the extent that distinctions between the two become blurred. This
is because most of the time, especially in hyper-religious communities, most
societal laws are coded in religious forms thus giving them a quasi-divine
legitimacy.
4. Political Problems
As
it had been pointed out in other courses, there has always been a very close
relationship between religion and politics, and the two have always been used
to exploit each other. For example, in Nigeria, there have been many religious
riots that have been politically motivated.
On
the surface, it may appear as if it is the religion in itself that is
problematic, but the problem lies in those that are using religion to advance
certain political goals.
5. Economic Problems
The
greatest problem that economy poses to the study of religion lies in the fact
that it costs a lot of money to conduct a good research. Consequently, since
most people do not have enough to attend to those things considered important,
the tendency is to neglect to pay attention to the issue of religion, let alone
budget money for its study. The researchers into religion then have no choice
but to use only that which is available for the study of religion.
Conclusion on Top 5 Problems in the Study of Religion
It
can be safely concluded that there are various problems facing the academic
study of religion ranging from the nature of religion itself to other
socio-economic problems as well as political factors.
The
following are the major points learnt in this article:
The nature of religion makes objectivity in the study of religion difficult to attain, personal biases affect the study of religion, the relationship between politics and religion makes it difficult to study religion as it should be studied and The relationship between the society and religion makes it difficult to study religion as it should be studied.
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