The Study of Religion: An Introduction to Key Ideas and Methods

by George D. Chryssides, Ronald Geaves

Increasingly, recognition is given to the importance of methodology in the study of religion and methodological issues are generally taught to first year students in order to equip them for systematic academic study of the topic. Unfortunately many of the theories that relate to methodology are explained in a highly complex way, which even advanced students find it hard to understand.

This book unravels the complexity of these issues for students by introducing the history and methodology pertaining to the study of religion (including ideas of key theorists) and by discussing the main problems in current scholarship in world religions.
In addition to theories relating to Religious Studies, examples will be drawn from a variety of the world's historical religious traditions, spanning the range of major ones and some minor ones. The student will in this way gain some understanding of the fundamental ideas of the world's religions as well as an introduction to methods of study.

Genres: Religion

440 pages, Paperback

First published July 20, 2007

Reviews

[Inanna&Ninhursaga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since there’s no review, I’ll put mine out there. I read it as a base for my study of religions. The book has in my opinion two main flaws : it brushes an unequal picture of what RS (study of religion) is -or rather seems to be-. The second flaw is that it tends to keep going back to anecdotal experiences to backup examples. Meanwhile that sounds like it isn’t a bad idea in itself, some chapters (the fieldwork chapter being the worst) are mainly made of thoes examples.
Overall good introduction to ethnological work in RS but not enough to cover all of what this academic field has to offer.