The Truth of Religion: Toward New Dynamics in the Scientific Study of Religion
August 31, 2023 DOI: 10.1163/9789004549319_014 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Citations | 1 |
| Key points | Argues that scholars of religion should treat emic truth claims seriously and remain open to religions accessing a true level of reality, contending that denying all religious truth is unscientific and merely confirms secular assumptions. Proposes that the socially constructed world is the main reality humans inhabit, navigated by religious practitioners in waking, dream, and altered states, and cautions against a materialistic view of consciousness. |
Abstract
This chapter offers a new scientific engagement with the idea of religious truth, suggesting that it is the prerogative of the scholar of religion to take emic ideas seriously and to be open to the possibility that religions access a true level of reality. So long as we deny any truth to religion, we are not scientific and only confirm our own assumptions. The approach suggested here emerges from ideas regarding the social construction of reality: the socially constructed world is cultivated over centuries and reflects the main reality human beings live in. Religious practitioners learn how to navigate this realm, in waking consciousness, in dreams and in altered states. Scholars of religion should be careful before accepting a materialistic understanding of consciousness.