How we have studied religion over the years tells us as much about ourselves as it does about religion itself. Anthropology, sociology, and psychology either rejected the specific teachings of religion as delusional or dismissed religious truth as inappropriate to science. On the other hand, phenomenology tried to explain religion as a real part of human experience. Charles B. Jones, an associate professor in the School of Theology and Religious Studies at The Catholic University of America, discusses these diverse approaches that took shape as religious studies came to maturity over the course of the 20th century.
Jan. 17 Psychology
The pioneers of psychology, Sigmund Freud, William James, and Carl G. Jung, each had a very distinctive interpretation of religion. Their assessments of religion ranged from finding it consistently unhealthy, a neutral part of human mental life, or a necessary component of a healthy mind that provides resources for coping.
Jan. 24 Sociology
For early sociologists, religion was simply one among many mechanisms for fostering social solidarity and maintaining lines of authority. Later, some theorists noted religion’s part in the body of knowledge that societies transmit across generations, while others attempted to explain religion as a rational choice whose benefits outweigh its costs.
Jan. 31 Anthropology
The anthropological study of religion originated in the late 19th century, seeing religion as an aspect of human culture, and attempting to account for it in this wider context. Its theoretical orientation has evolved over the years as its perspective on religion shifted from viewing it as a kind of bad science, to acknowledging its beneficial effect on group survival, and finally to considering it as a source of meaning for human life.
Feb. 7 Phenomenology
The phenomenological method provided more sympathetic scholars with a way of approaching the topic by noting that, whether its teachings are true or not, religion is still a real part of human experience. From that starting point, they went on to analyze the experiential side of religion in great detail.
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