RMG 200 Lecture 2: Notes

• School: Ryerson University
• Department: Retail Management
• Course: RMG 200
• Professor: Raj Balkaran

Document Summary

Religion: difficult to define, no definition can be adequate. Personal & group identity: the majority of people define who they are and what they value, partly at least, on a framework of religion. Religion & the global neighborhood: past: they are the same, present: no longer true. Methodologies in the study of religion: although religious studies as a discipline uses a number of methodologies, each religious studies scholar generally can be identified by a dominant methodology. Anthropology of religion: experience of primitive or tribal cultures, often untouched by previous contact with the outside world, was idealized as offering the oldest and purest forms of religion. Sociology of religion: how religion shapes societal conditions & how societal factors shape religion, attempt to understand religious grps as social phenomena. History of religion: cultures rise and fall; nations conquer and collapse. Philosophy of religion: philosophers of religion examine the rational basis of religious truth claims, often focusing on the nature of religious language.