Future Work

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UNIT 2 REQUIREMENTS FOR THE STUDY OF RELIGION

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characteristics:

Openness

There is the need for you to be open- minded. This is because in the course of your study of religion you will come across many facts that seem to render your previous opinions and knowledge useless or out of date. The tendency for us as human beings at this point is to close our

minds to such truths. But for you to engage in a fruitful study of religion, such things must engage your attention.

Objectivity

Very close to open mindedness is the issue of objectivity. Objectivity is very important because as a researcher would hold, subjectivity is no good in the course of academic study. This belief is much truer in the quest for the study of religion. This is because most people who go into the study of religion usually go in with a bias. For example, as a Christian if you begin to study Islamic religion, the tendency is that you will begin to evaluate Islamic religion from a Christian viewpoint. This will constitute a barrier between you and an objective study of the religion, and your findings will consequently be inaccurate. Even if an atheist comes into the study of religion he/she is likely to come out as a false critic because from the onset there is a stated belief that there is no God. To be able to understand any religion you must be objective in your approach.

It was bias and subjectivity that made the early Europeans study the African Traditional Religion, and to conclude that that the African has no concept of God.

However, there have been several developments in the field since then that have corrected some erroneous ideas.

Caution

It is also important that when you come to the study of religion to be very cautious. This is because when studying religion you must be very careful not offend the sensibilities of the adherents of the religion. Once they are offended, you will never be able to get the truth of what you are studying again because as human beings they will be on the defensive.

Carefulness

Finally, you must be very careful to obey and observe the dictates of the religion you are studying especially if your research involves observation. For example, there are some religions that will forbid you to put on shoes within the precincts of the shrine or the temple or even the church. There are some religions in which some colours are forbidden.

3.2 Basic Material Requirements

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Apart from the human requirements needed in the study of religion, it is very important to know that the following materials are necessary:

Writing materials

In the course of your research, you will need to jot down what you observe in the behaviour of the adherents of the religion. For this, writing materials like pen, pencil and jotter come in handy. Never go for a research without these items.

Tape Recorder

You will also need a tape recorder during this period because you will need to conduct interviews with the ecclesiastical hierarchy of the religion as well as with the lay people. Such interviews are important because they help you to obtain first hand information from the practitioners of the religion. When conducting interviews however, it is important to have them recorded because you can always get back to the recorded interview to cross check your facts. Note that there is no way you can record an interview session with only writing materials. If you do, you are bound to lose vital information.

Video Recorder

A video recorder is useful for the purpose of research. This is because religious expressions are most of the time kinetic in nature; that is they belong to the realm of body language. These include the dances, the postures taken in prayer and worship, the expressions during rituals of all kinds and the dramatic presentations of these expressions. All these cannot be captured by writing materials or by the tape recorder. Yet, they are of tremendous importance in the interpretation of the religion from the point of view of the adherents.

4.0 CONCLUSION

In this unit, you have studied about the requirements needed for the study of religion. They have been divided into two broad classes: the human and the material. The human requirements border more on the needed character for a fruitful research, the materials that are necessary for the recording of observations and the rituals of the religion.

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5.0 SUMMARY

The following are the major points that you have studied in this unit:

Openness in needed in the study of religion

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Objectivity is of paramount importance in the study of religion Caution must always be taken while studying a religion

The one studying the religion must always be careful

It is important to have a record of all the activities of religion by using writing materials, tape recorders and video-recorders.

6.0 TUTOR-MARKED ASSIGNMENTS

Discuss the importance of the human requirements in the study of religion.

7.0 REFERENCES/FURTHER READINGS

Connolly, Peter (ed.) 1999. Approaches to the Study of Religion Cassell, London and New York.

Goring, Rosemary (ed.) 1992. Dictionary of Beliefs and Religions Wordsworth Reference, Ware, Herefordshire.

Hopfe, Lewis M. 1994. Religions of the World (6th Edition), Macmillan College Publishing Company, New York/Maxwell Macmillan Canada, Toronto.

Matthews, Warren. 1998. World Religions. West Publishing Company, New York, Los Angeles & San Francisco.

Nigosian, S.A. 1994. World Faiths. (2nd Edition), St. Martin’s Press, New York.

Onibere, Oseovo. 1981. Rudimentary Study of Religion. Olasode Press, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

Waardenburg, Jacques. 1999. Classical Approaches to the Study of Religion: Aims, Methods and Theories of Research. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin & New York

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UNIT 3 PROBLEMS IN THE STUDY OF RELIGION CONTENTS