Quote: "Religious studies, also known as the study of religion, is an academic field devoted to research into religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives."
Study of different religious traditions, including their history, beliefs, practices, and impact on society.
Religion: The belief in and worship of a supernatural controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.
Theology: The study of the nature of God and religious belief.
Scripture: The sacred writings of a religion.
Mythology: The study of myths, including stories, legends, or folktales, typically involving gods or supernatural beings.
Philosophy of Religion: The exploration of fundamental questions about the meaning and nature of religion.
World Religions: A comparative study of the major religious traditions of the world, including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
Ritual: A set of actions or words performed in a prescribed manner, often as part of a religious or solemn ceremony.
Ethics and Morality: The study of the principles of right and wrong behavior and how they relate to religious belief and practice.
Mysticism: The pursuit of communion with the divine through direct experience or intuition, often involving contemplation, meditation, or other spiritual practices.
Secularism: The separation of religion and state, and the philosophy that religious faith should be excluded from public life and civic affairs.
Quote: "While theology attempts to understand the transcendent or supernatural according to traditional religious accounts, religious studies takes a more scientific and objective approach, independent of any particular religious viewpoint."
Quote: "Religious studies thus draws upon multiple academic disciplines and methodologies including anthropology, sociology, psychology, philosophy, and history of religion."
Quote: "Religious studies originated in 19th-century Europe when scholarly and historical analysis of the Bible had flourished, as Hindu and Buddhist sacred texts were first being translated into European languages."
Quote: "Early influential scholars included Friedrich Max Müller in England and Cornelis Petrus Tiele in the Netherlands."
Quote: "In the United States, there are those who today also know the field as the 'History of religion'."
Quote: "The religious studies scholar Walter Capps described the purpose of the discipline as to provide 'training and practice ... in directing and conducting inquiry regarding the subject of religion'."
Quote: "Religious studies scholar Robert A. Segal characterised the discipline as 'a subject matter' that is 'open to many approaches', and thus it 'does not require either a distinctive method or a distinctive explanation to be worthy of disciplinary status'."
Quote: "Different scholars operating in the field have different interests and intentions; some for instance seek to defend religion, while others seek to explain it away, and others wish to use religion as an example with which to prove a theory of their own."
Quote: "Some scholars of religious studies are interested in primarily studying the religion to which they belong."
Quote: "Scholars of religion have argued that a study of the subject is useful for individuals because it will provide them with knowledge that is pertinent in inter-personal and professional contexts within an increasingly globalized world."
Quote: "It has also been argued that studying religion is useful in appreciating and understanding sectarian tensions and religious violence." Note: Due to space constraints, only 12 questions and their corresponding quotes have been provided.