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Comparative Study of Religions

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Comparative Study of Religions NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES COURSE CODE: CTH 202 COURSE TITLE: COMPARATIVE STUDY OF RELIGIONS 1 COURSE CODE 202 COURSE TITLE COMPARATIVE STUDY OF RELIGIONS COURSE TEAM DR. P.A. OJEBODE (Developer FEDERAL COLLEGE OF EDUCATION (SPECIAL), OYO. COURSE TEAM Dr. P. A. Ojebode (Developer & Writer) Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo Dr. O. A. Adewale (Programme leader) NOUN Dr. J.A. Owolabi (Course Coordinator) NOUN Dr. Olu Akeusola (Acting Dean) NOUN NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA 2 CTH 202: COMPARATIVE STUDY OF RELIGIONS. The comparative study of the nature, beliefs, sacred writings and practices of some major religions of the world: Christianity: Islam: Buddhism: Shintoism: the distinctiveness and importance of each of these religions. NB: For clarity sake the author grouped these ancient religions into three Modules: MODULE 1: ASIANITIC RELIGIONS Unit 1: Concept of Comparative Religion Unit 2: Hinduism Unit 3: Buddhism Unit 4: Shintoism Unit 5: Confucianism Unit 6: Zoroastrianism Unit 7: Taoism MODULE 2: ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS Unit 1: Judaism Unit 2: Christianity From Early Formation to the Church of the Early Middle Ages (474 – 800) Unit 3: Christianity From Protestant Reformation to Ecumenism Era (1521 – 79) Unit 4: Islam Unit 5: Bahaism MODULE 3: AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION AND RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE Unit 1: African Traditional Religion: From Early Formation to the Technological Development in the society Unit 2: Nature of African Traditional Religion Unit 3: Religious Dialogue 3 MODULE 1. ASIANTIC RELIGIONS This module examined the origins and activities of the religions traced to be originated from the Asian world. The module is divided into seven units. They include; 1. Unit 1: Concept of Comparative Religion 2. Unit 2: Hinduism 3. Unit 3: Buddhism 4. Unit 4: Shintoism 5. Unit 5: Confucianism 6. Unit 6: Zoroastrianism 7. Unit 7: Taoism Unit 1: CONCEPT OF COMPARATIVE RELIGION. CONTENTS 1.0 Introduction 2.0 Objectives 3.0 Main content 3.1 An overview of comparative religion 3.2 Approaches to the study of religion 4.0 Conclusion 5.0 Summary 6.0 Tutored Marked Assignment 6.1 Making Guides to TMA 7.0 References/Further Readings 1.0 INTRODUCTION The goal of every religion is man’s universal thirst for, peace and goodness. Man achieves this goal through many ways in which he expresses his beliefs and attitudes. No matter when or how man developed from the time he became man, his irresistible urge to worship has created and will continues to create endless forms of religious behaviour. This force is so powerful in man that it has produced a Mosaic kind of beliefs, attitudes and practices. And considering the fact that each of the world religions embraces varying beliefs and practices, areas of interaction and co-operation are necessary for peaceful co-existence. This is because religion whether Islam, Christianity, Taoism, Buddhism Taoism or African Traditional Religion, remains a potent factor to reckon with in the scheme of things the world over. However, one needs to be aware of the changes which particular religious traditions and institutions have under gone, that is, changes which are evident from historical comparison. The person who is more likely to be hostile to another mans religion is that man who knows no other religion than that of his own. The will attempt to make an impartial study of religious traditions by highlighting this historical records in terms of the ideas they teach, the types of personality they have and the kinds of societies where they were found. 4 2.0 OBJECTIVES At the end of this unit, you should be able to:- - Explain the goals of religion in man life. - Acknowledge the cause for many religions of the world. - Explain what comparative religion all about. - Imbibe the mechanism for studying religion. 3.0 MAIN CONTENT 3.1 AN OVERVIEW OF COMPARATIVE RELIGION Comparative religion centered on the application of comparative or scientific method to the data provided by the religious of the world, past and present. This involved the assignment to each of a place within a scheme of progress development, or evolution, and the assessment of their value (Sharpe, 1987). To Kasiera (1990). Comparative religion is the study of the various religious traditions and of the inter-relation to the way in which religious themes and ideas are fused in these traditions. Tiwari (1983) also sees comparative religion as a comparative study of the important features of the different religions of the world in a perfectly scientific sprit. The purpose is not to assert the truth or falsity or relegate any religion or to in corporate value judgment about other religions, but to show that the religions of the humankind are similar in many ways and also different in significant ways (Dopamu 2000). Dopamu (2000) further studied that comparative religion is not restricted to comparism between religious but it involves comparison between concepts, themes, elements, topics or phenomena of different religions. The implication of Dopamu submission is that, religions are placed side by side for the purpose of underscoring their claims and values. Through comparative study of religion, scholars endeavors to evaluate the religion in order to show how they stood relative to another in term of their various levels of development. In this wise, religions are studied in an appreciative and non-judgmental manners. The aim of comparative religion therefore, as it is observed by Dopamu (2000) is to identify the point of similarities and differences between two religions or more. This course examines the various notable religions of the world. 3.2 APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF RELIGION Idowu (1973) accounted for the following approaches in the comparative study of religions. These include:- 1. Caution: - To study a religion other than ones own effectively, a scholar or religious investigator must exercises great caution. The scholar must not prove that he has known everything already about that religion even if he belongs to it. This is because religion is a divinely invented phenomenon that application of self mind cannot be easily comprehended, thus Job 11:7-9 query. “Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens What can you do? They are deeper than the depths of the Grave –what can you know? 5 The above strengthening the words of Idowu which continues to say that one must rather learn slowly painfully and actively to ask new questions and to sense new visions cautions approach therefore will not make the study of any religion subjective but objective. 2. Openness: - The approach of openness in the study of religion implies that when we are studying other people’s religion we must enter into their feelings and aspirations. Religion cannot be properly studied unless it is studied from inside and only those who are prepared to allow truth to reveal itself to them and those who prepared to enter into the feelings of worshipers as soon as possible can make any profitable and objective study of religion. That one must not enter the field of studying religion with self imprisoned mind or misconception about any religion to be investigated. 3. Sympathy: - In studying religion we must have appreciation for understanding and sympathy. It is not what people say about religion that is of importance rather it should be what the religion says about itself. Religion is a sacred phenomenon therefore, the scholar must show sympathy and enter into the feeling of the people and see with their own eyes in order to grasp and possess the knowledge of what they actually know and believe about the spiritual world. 4. Reverence: - Religion is a sacred phenomenon and this should be studied with reference. Thus Psalms 5-7 inter-alia says: The arrogant cannot stand in you presence: You hate all who do wrong. You destroy those who tell lies; Bloodthirsty and deceitful men The Lord abhors. But by your great mercy, will come into your house, in reference will I bow down toward your holy temple. (NIV Topical Study Bible). The above depict that to understand and established the mysteriousness of God or gods the religion is seeking to accounted for the researchers or scholars of religion need to go about with reference heart, and total sense of submission. 5. Interest: Absolute interest and honest is another key to obtain a meaningful result while studying religion. The sacred and the mysterious fundamentally endowed religious phenomenon calls for total interest of the religious scholars so as to obtain an objective result. 6. Adaptability: - To attain acceptable information about a religion being studied calls for adaptability of all purposes. The researcher should comply with the norms and traditions surrounding the subject of his or her investigation. This in returns will open ways for sense of belongings and remove fear on the path of the leaders and the individuals who suppose to assist and releases the needed information to the researcher. Association and interaction of all purposes are ingredients that can streamline the easy ways to the hidden information about the religion that the researcher sought to know. 6 4.0 CONCLUSION From the discussions so far you have learnt the following: - That religion came to being as a result of mans thirst for truth, peace and goodness - Religion remains a potent factor to reckon with in the scheme of things the world over. - That religions of the world are similar in many ways and also different in significant ways - Comparative religion aims at under scaring claims and values of religions of the world and not solely in comparing one religion better than the others. - Approaches the scholars of religion need to adopt while studying religion for the purpose of achieving the set goals.
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