There are a number of different ways to study religion. These approaches can include: Comparative approaches, Origins, Evolution, and Social forces. Let’s consider three of the most common approaches. This article will provide an overview of the most common approaches to religion. Then, we’ll discuss how to use these approaches to better understand how religion shapes human societies. Finally, we’ll discuss how we can apply these approaches to other contexts. Read on to discover what you need to know about the many different approaches to religion.
Comparative approaches to religion
Academic comparative religion emerged in the mid-19th century as knowledge of non-Western and preliterate cultures widened. Additionally, a shift from scriptural to evolutionary conceptions of human history made comparison more appealing. Its leading proponent, F. Max Muller, an Oxford-based scholar of the Sanskrit language, became the “father” of comparative religion. He edited a fifty-volume translation series of the Sacred Books of the East.
Origins
Research into the origins of religion suggests that human beings have always believed in supernatural agents. However, this belief in supernatural agents may be more ancient than the first split in the modern human lineage. Thus, some aspects of religion may have existed before humans first developed anatomically modern brains. While religion is generally believed to have emerged in Africa during the Upper Paleolithic, it is also believed to have played a key role in out-of-Africa expansion.
Evolution
There is a significant interaction between religious beliefs and evolution acceptance. The religious beliefs of college students are negatively associated with writing evolution as atheistic. Students with the lowest religious belief, who had a 4.0 GPA, were predicted to score 100 on the self-defined instrument on evolution acceptance. Students who were more religious reported lower evolution acceptance scores. The full regression tables are available in the Supplemental Material. In addition, students who affirmed evolution in college reported lower self-defined evolution acceptance scores.
Social forces
Throughout history, religion has played a significant role in shaping social life. Many religions have complex set of norms and practices that are closely related to societal values. The social forces of religion have shaped human societies throughout history, from ancient times to the present day. While religions often meet basic human needs, they also serve as a powerful force for social solidarity. This function of religion has been the focus of the social forces of religion as seen in a functionalist perspective, socialist perspective, and conflict theory.
Origins of religion
The earliest attempts to explain the origins of religion were in the wake of morality and the development of group culture. While religion arose as a shared worldview separating the sacred from the profane, it has been disputed whether this idea was actually formed by humans or if it evolved after morality. Matt J. Rossano suggests that religion was developed as a way to increase group survival by expanding the social scrutiny of individual behavior to include supernatural agents. As such, the adaptive value of religion can be attributed to the fact that the social sanction associated with religious belief enhanced group survival. However, he does note that the origins of religion do not lie in the evolution of religion, but in the creation of morality.