REL 2000 Study Guide - Rudolf Otto, Universe Of The Legend Of Zelda, Theophany
Document Summary
Taught history of religions at university of chicago. Childhood experience of being transported into a transcendent world : looked back with a feeling of nostalgia a longing for a beautiful space of otherworldly perfection (194, this feeling is central to religion. Studied in india: sacramental experiences, symbols, and archaic religion are central. Truly turned marx on his head: took weber a step further, thought is primary- not a cause, but the cause. Two axioms: religion cannot be reduced- it is the independent variable, religion must be studied historically and phenomenologically; must be studied as it existed in the past (method) We have to enter the world of archaic man to properly understand religion: people who live closely with nature and rely on folk traditions. Religion is about promoting contact with the sacred: the sacred is integral to the daily lives of archaic people, sacred archetypes model ideal life.
