Religion and society (Essay Sample)

Religion and Society Student Name Institutional Affiliation Religion and Society The Meaning of Defining is Theorizing The author talks about the misunderstandings and impossibilities in defining the concept as religion as it is a collection of practices, which may not have a succinct explanation. Arriving at a single definition for the concept of religion may be misleading. The definition is crucial since it aids in outlining the insights which explain the assumptions and commitment of the scholars in the study of religion (Lecture Notes, n.d.). Besides, it provides hints to determine what to study as well as identify the research questions which matter most. Moreover, the definition is useful in establishing what qualifies to be data as well as ways of analyzing and presenting it. It ensures that specific orientations are chosen over the other at various points in history. Different questions pose distinct theoretical orientations. The definition is, therefore, important in establishing such orientations. For instance, through definition, one can understand the human origins of religion. Another role played by definition is determining the impacts of religion on societies as well as on specific individuals. The definition helps to identify the uses of religion in daily lives. Besides, the emotional and psychological substance of the experiences in religion is understood by exploring definitions. Another role played by definition is outlining how faith shapes other social institution as well as identify how it is developed by those establishments. Moreover, they help understand the uniqueness of religion. The anthropological approach to religion is different from other humanities and social sciences. Moreover, it overlaps with these disciplines. Anthropological approaches would handle several things. For instance, it would aid in conducting empirical researches, especially the archival and ethnographic (Lecture Notes, n.d.). Secondly, these approaches are cross-culturally valuable because they help in establishing comparisons. The anthropological approach treats religion as a whole since it does not separate the bad from the right belief. Besides, if it focuses on enhancing anthropological aims such as holism. The definition is theorizing since it helps to identify the value of a given approach in religion. Besides, it helps in self-reflection, thus aiding in determining and choosing what is attractive or productive. The troubles with belief are explained through various criticism. For instance, to improve anthropology, critics have challenged the cross-cultural validity of religion. The critic aims to understand people as well as their socio-cultural world. Another trouble associated with a belief is the fact that this English term did not have an equivalent in other languages. Therefore, it cannot be relied upon by different cultures. Needham argued that belief is more trouble since it does not show what people experience. Consequently, it is not feasible to capture and represent people's inner life. Thus it is impossible to relay it linguistically. Troubles with Beliefs The author poses a question on whether religion is a normative category engraved by ethnocentrism. Another trouble of belief is that this modern Christian...