Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Chui  |
Wow... thanks for the endorsement, Michael!
Some really interesting questions, Mnemosyne. I don't know if it makes you feel any better, but religious studies scholars have been wrestling with those same issues for decades, and I haven't met one yet who claims to have the answers to any of them!
What is religion? For all I've read, all I've studied, and everyone I've talked to, I've never once met anyone who can give a definition that works. In a lot of contexts, it usually boils down to "I know it when I see it" whatever that means. It's a tricky one, for sure. Without knowing what religion is, it's almost impossible to say what it's purpose is -- depending on what you consider religion, it's purpose will vary. I know some people say that political ideologies are forms of religion, and if you agree, then the purpose of religion will be very different than if you think (to take an extreme example) that Christianity is the only real form of religion. I've met people who argue both ways.
As for why there is so much conflict surrounding religion, there are whole threads about this one, but whether you want to chalk it up to stubborness, indoctrination, human nature, the nature of religion, the nature of conflict, the nature of the weather (oh, wait...) I think strong arguments can be made. Equally strong arguments can be made that conflict does not derive from religion, but that they just often occur in proximity. Basically, the argument is that correlation does not imply causation.
And finally... who's to say there is a difference between religion, spirituality, and philosophy? The first too, for sure, are often viewed of by scholars as being two sides of the same coin (if not the same side of the same coin!) Actually, many scholars hate the word spirituality, because it seems to mean "everything that religion is, except for the institutionalized side of it"... which, for religious studies scholars, is just religion in a different form. It comes back (as always) to definitions. As for philosophy, there is certainly a strong link between the two. Some argue that they are identical twins. Some say that they are closely related cousins. And others say that they're the same child, just with a different haircut and in different clothes. Depends on who you ask.
