Classification of Theories of Religions
Theories of religion can be classified into.
- Substantive (or essentialist) theories that focus on the contents of religions and the meaning the contents has for people. This approach asserts that people have faith because beliefs make sense, as they hold value and are comprehensible to them. The theories by Tylor and Frazer (focusing on the explanatory value of religion for its adherents), Rudolf Otto (focusing on the importance of religious experience, more specifically experiences that are both fascinating and terrifying)and Mircea Eliade (focusing on the longing for otherworldly perfection, the quest for meaning, and the search for patterns in mythology in various religions) are examples of substantive theories.
- Functional (and in a stronger form reductionist) theories that focuses on the social or psychological functions that religion has for a group or a person. In simpler terms, the functional approach sees religion as "performing certain functions for society." Theories by Karl Marx (role of religion in capitalist and pre-capitalist societies), Sigmund Freud (psychological origin of religious beliefs), Émile Durkheim (social function of religions), and the theory by Stark and Bainbridge are examples of functional theories. This approach tends to be static, with the exception of Marx' theory, and unlike e.g. Weber's approach that treats the interaction and dynamic processes between religions and the rest of societies.
Other dichotomies on which theories or descriptions of religions can be classified are.
- Insider versus outsider perspectives (roughly corresponding to emic versus etic descriptions)
- Individualist versus social views
- Evolutionist versus relativist views
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