MEPX
Chapter 1 of 10All chapters
  1. 1Studying religion
  2. 2Judaism
  3. 3Christianity
  4. 4Islam
  5. 5Hinduism
  6. 6Buddhism
  7. 7Sikhism and Jainism
  8. 8East Asian traditions
  9. 9Indigenous and other traditions
  10. 10Religion today

Chapter 1 of 10

Studying religion

Description, not verdict.

The approach

Academic study asks what people believe, do and mean, and how that changes over time and place. It does not adjudicate truth claims, which is what makes comparison possible.

  • Lived practice often differs from official doctrine.
  • Insider and outsider accounts of the same tradition can differ sharply.

Categories to handle carefully

Terms such as religion, scripture and church come from particular traditions and fit others awkwardly. Applying them everywhere can distort what is being described.