Comparative Religion Course, Independent Study Version
October 23, 2022 10:20 AM Subscribe
For 20+ years, I've regretted not taking a comparative religion course in high school, as I think it would have helped me to overcome my Christian fundamentalist upbringing much faster than I subsequently did. But rather than continue to uselessly rue something I can't change now, I would like to address that regret by a course of self-study. I want to better understand the origins and role of religion in human history from a secular standpoint, and to learn more about other religions. What books/articles would you recommend I read in order to accomplish that?
Nothing better than the classic: The World's Religions by the late scholar Huston Smith. It's entirely readable, informed, and quirky. Huston Smith was a conscientious man, and he approaches each religion from inside tenets rather than outer seemings. He was a compatriot of Timothy Leary and Aldous Huxley. There are great interviews with him on Youtube – you can watch to see if he's at your pace.
Less comprehensive, but more visually appealing is DK's World Religions: The Great Faiths.
posted by mr. remy at 10:45 AM on October 23, 2022 [4 favorites]
Less comprehensive, but more visually appealing is DK's World Religions: The Great Faiths.
posted by mr. remy at 10:45 AM on October 23, 2022 [4 favorites]
One strategy you could try is to pick a university with a Religion department, find their course catalog, and see if you can download syllabi from courses that sound interesting. Are you interested more in the anthropological side of religion, or the theological/philosophical side? There are courses in either. Schools with a strong Christian affiliation are sometimes less good with comparative studies. I’d start with big, prominent universities.
On the philosophy side, I would recommend Philosophy of Religion: A Beginner’s Guide by Charles Taliaferro and Philosophy of Religion: An Anthology, edited by Taliaferro and Paul Griffiths.
posted by Comet Bug at 11:37 AM on October 23, 2022 [3 favorites]
On the philosophy side, I would recommend Philosophy of Religion: A Beginner’s Guide by Charles Taliaferro and Philosophy of Religion: An Anthology, edited by Taliaferro and Paul Griffiths.
posted by Comet Bug at 11:37 AM on October 23, 2022 [3 favorites]
This is, as you perhaps know, a huge topic. Some book recs:
Before Religion: A History of a Modern Concept - is an academic book that is very readable, and examines the history of the word "religion" and how this only occurs, in the modern sense of the word, with Christianity. It is very much a comparative book.
Edward E. Curtis IV is an academic who has written a number of books on Islam in America and/or the African diaspora that are geared towards a general audience. These are comparative to the extent that they examine different traditions of Islamic practice.
Orientalism by Edward Said isn't about religion per se, but it is about how the 'West' has depicted the Middle East/Arab culture and Islam. It's a classic for a reason, and should be easy to find at any library.
Servants of Allah is again, an academic book, but very readable, on the history of enslaved Muslims in the Americas.
I agree with the suggestion to look into some syllabi you can find online - UVA has one of the best (if not the best) religious studies department in the country.
posted by coffeecat at 11:47 AM on October 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
Before Religion: A History of a Modern Concept - is an academic book that is very readable, and examines the history of the word "religion" and how this only occurs, in the modern sense of the word, with Christianity. It is very much a comparative book.
Edward E. Curtis IV is an academic who has written a number of books on Islam in America and/or the African diaspora that are geared towards a general audience. These are comparative to the extent that they examine different traditions of Islamic practice.
Orientalism by Edward Said isn't about religion per se, but it is about how the 'West' has depicted the Middle East/Arab culture and Islam. It's a classic for a reason, and should be easy to find at any library.
Servants of Allah is again, an academic book, but very readable, on the history of enslaved Muslims in the Americas.
I agree with the suggestion to look into some syllabi you can find online - UVA has one of the best (if not the best) religious studies department in the country.
posted by coffeecat at 11:47 AM on October 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
The Great Courses has a bunch of religion courses, including at least a couple that are comparative religions. (I also think they're rebranding to Wondrium; not sure if this list of religion courses is different.)
posted by BlahLaLa at 11:47 AM on October 23, 2022
posted by BlahLaLa at 11:47 AM on October 23, 2022
A History of God by Karen Armstrong is highly recommended by me. The main premise looks at the evolution of the three major monotheistic religions, but also includes comparisons to Eastern religions and later atheistic philosophies. It's detailed, interesting, and well-written, with a relatively objective viewpoint.
posted by ovvl at 4:14 PM on October 23, 2022
posted by ovvl at 4:14 PM on October 23, 2022
You did allow articles, so how about this 19 page work by philosopher Raymond M. Smullyan: "Is God a Taoist?" In my opinion (?) it is quite thought provoking on the topics of the human race, our concepts of God, free will, guilt, punishment and reality.
posted by forthright at 5:16 PM on October 23, 2022
posted by forthright at 5:16 PM on October 23, 2022
A History of Christianity: The First 3000 Years Diarmaid MacCulloch
Review
https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v32/n06/frank-kermode/our-supersubstantial-bread
posted by Barbara Spitzer at 6:10 PM on October 23, 2022
Review
https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v32/n06/frank-kermode/our-supersubstantial-bread
posted by Barbara Spitzer at 6:10 PM on October 23, 2022
Not a book or an article, but Harvard offers a free online course via edX called Religious Literacy that would be exactly what you are looking for.
posted by hworth at 7:53 PM on October 23, 2022
posted by hworth at 7:53 PM on October 23, 2022
This Amazon.com: Many Peoples, Many Faiths (9th Edition): 9780136017615: Ellwood Emeritus, Robert S., McGraw, Barbara A.: Books (well an earlier edition) was my 1988 university comparative religion textbook.
Good Luck whatever you choose. Fellow ex-fundamentalist christian agrees that a good comparative religion study goes a long way.
posted by zengargoyle at 8:42 PM on October 23, 2022
Good Luck whatever you choose. Fellow ex-fundamentalist christian agrees that a good comparative religion study goes a long way.
posted by zengargoyle at 8:42 PM on October 23, 2022
Adding this, just in case you're unaware of it, because access to original sources is rather useful, too:
Sacred Texts
posted by stormyteal at 8:48 PM on October 23, 2022
Sacred Texts
posted by stormyteal at 8:48 PM on October 23, 2022
The Invention of World Religions: Or, How European Universalism Was Preserved in the Language of Pluralism (2005) by Tomoko Masuzawa.
posted by demonic winged headgear at 9:49 PM on October 23, 2022
posted by demonic winged headgear at 9:49 PM on October 23, 2022
I came in to suggest Armstrong too. A couple of interviews with her: bigthink (video and transcript), the Ismaili.
posted by paduasoy at 1:21 AM on October 24, 2022
posted by paduasoy at 1:21 AM on October 24, 2022
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari is a wonderful book regardless, but ch. 12, The Law of Religion, is a really good, short introduction of the history of religion in general, and puts it into context of the development/evolution of our species.
Someone above has mentioned Orientalism by Edward Said, and that is the antithesis of Harari's work. Harari is clear, concise, and thoroughly readable, whereas Said is - at least in Orientalism - turgid, wordy, and very difficult to read. He never misses the opportunity to use one page when he could have used one sentence, and there are a LOT of statements that aren't evidenced. My background includes academic philosophy so dense texts and heavy theory are familiar, but Orientalism, whatever it's positives, is not a fun read. YMMV, of course.
posted by underclocked at 5:07 AM on October 24, 2022
Someone above has mentioned Orientalism by Edward Said, and that is the antithesis of Harari's work. Harari is clear, concise, and thoroughly readable, whereas Said is - at least in Orientalism - turgid, wordy, and very difficult to read. He never misses the opportunity to use one page when he could have used one sentence, and there are a LOT of statements that aren't evidenced. My background includes academic philosophy so dense texts and heavy theory are familiar, but Orientalism, whatever it's positives, is not a fun read. YMMV, of course.
posted by underclocked at 5:07 AM on October 24, 2022
How do you feel about podcasts?
Keeping It 101: A Killjoy's Introduction to Religion
It's hosted by two academics and it's grant funded. It goes deep and wide, but it's also presented in a lightweight and fun style. And it has transcripts!
posted by cadge at 6:49 AM on October 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
Keeping It 101: A Killjoy's Introduction to Religion
It's hosted by two academics and it's grant funded. It goes deep and wide, but it's also presented in a lightweight and fun style. And it has transcripts!
posted by cadge at 6:49 AM on October 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
I would recommend Ninian Smart, The World's Religions, 2nd ed. (The link is to the publisher's site, but you can find plenty of used copies, or check your library.) The author does a very good job of treating religious traditions in relationship to one another—e.g., discussing how classical Hinduism took shape in part in response to Buddhist and Jain teachings and practices. Smart also analyzes religious traditions in terms of different "dimensions" of religion: not just beliefs and theology, but also rituals and practice, experience, material culture, narrative and myth, law and ethics, and institutions.
Another good introduction is Moojan Momen, The Phenomenon of Religion: A thematic approach. It's less historically oriented than Smart but gives a good account of different scholarly approaches to religion.
I'm not a big fan of Huston Smith (mentioned above), but I would recommend Wilfred Cantwell Smith, The Meaning and End of Religion. It's both an analysis of how the term "religion" changed in Europe and its settler colonies from the 16th to the 18th centuries and a critique of the concept. Read one or two introductory works first, though.
Masuzawa's work, cited above, is not for beginners; it's about how the concept of "world religions" took form in the 19th century, and she's polemical in her approach. A similar critique of the entire discipline of "religious studies" was offered by Donald Wiebe, and of "Biblical studies" by Hector Avalos. But those are intended for specialists in the field.
posted by brianogilvie at 2:22 PM on October 24, 2022
Another good introduction is Moojan Momen, The Phenomenon of Religion: A thematic approach. It's less historically oriented than Smart but gives a good account of different scholarly approaches to religion.
I'm not a big fan of Huston Smith (mentioned above), but I would recommend Wilfred Cantwell Smith, The Meaning and End of Religion. It's both an analysis of how the term "religion" changed in Europe and its settler colonies from the 16th to the 18th centuries and a critique of the concept. Read one or two introductory works first, though.
Masuzawa's work, cited above, is not for beginners; it's about how the concept of "world religions" took form in the 19th century, and she's polemical in her approach. A similar critique of the entire discipline of "religious studies" was offered by Donald Wiebe, and of "Biblical studies" by Hector Avalos. But those are intended for specialists in the field.
posted by brianogilvie at 2:22 PM on October 24, 2022
« Older Article wherein author claims a famous work is... | 80s "cookbook" that taught skills, not recipes Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by box at 10:25 AM on October 23, 2022 [1 favorite]