Religion
I have been trying to figure out how to better understand the learning journal, I was mostly trying to concentrate on questions from the lecture material, but I am starting to realize I should concentrate more on the parts that had a greater impact on me, which are usually those I can relate to in some way.
This week we have been talking about religion as a field of study, more specifically its history and major figures. However, to eliminate the problematic views of the major figures that are based on Christian and Western perspectives we need to implement different frameworks, namely critical religion, to understand the place of religion in society and different views from around the world. Challenging the historical meaning of religion and other disciplines it is connected to is tremendously important. Timothy Fitzgerald’s article suggests that different categories that constitute modernity (in which religion should be included) have to be viewed under very critical lenses – people’s perception of things can vary depending on their social background and time period so, in order to understand religion as a whole, we need to take a look at all the aspects that constitute it through history.[1] Thinking this way opens many doors and possibilities of what one person can focus on when researching anything. The biggest lesson this has taught me is the distrust of blatant statements that always try to look past the perspective of the writer. This way of thinking, especially considering critical religion, made me once again realize how complex our surroundings are. Nothing can be explained by simple means without studying its background and reasons for its existence. Every ideology has a certain effect on its surroundings and responses to it make humanity as a whole move forward. It is necessary to acknowledge those effects and responses to address anything properly, but it also suggests that no category stands alone – there will always be specific parts that overlap with others.
[1] Fitzgerald, Timothy. 2015. “Critical Religion and Critical Research on Religion: Religion and Politics as Modern Fictions.” Critical Research on Religion 3 (3): 303–19. https://doi.org/10.1177/2050303215613123.