Religion is known to be difficult to define as it transcends so many boundaries in human experience and from an academic perspective; it is difficult to find any distinction between the world religions 1, 2, 3. Ninian Smart approached religion as a religious studies specialist and instead of trying to define religion, he identified certain recognizable elements that religion in general possess and focused on studying them 3, 4, 9. He identified seven such elements or dimensions for the religion; practical and ritual, experimental and emotional, narrative or mythic, doctrinal and philosophical, ethical and legal, social and institutional and material dimension 3. The purpose of this paper is to use three of Smart’s dimensions and describe the three western religions. An example from each of the three religion pertaining to a chosen dimension will be provided and explained in the context of the religion and how it informs one of the core aspects of the chosen religion. The first dimension chosen to describe the western religions is Experiential and emotional dimension. This dimension entails the subjective and the human experience of the religion 6. The experience can be as simple as a religious impulse to understand the meaning of a tragic event to an awe-inspiring divine intervention that changed the entire course of life of the devotee 6. God appearing to Moses from the burning bush in Mount Sinai, conversion of Paul en route to Damascus and the visions of Muhammad in which archangel Gabriel disseminated the Qur’an are examples of religious experiences given in the western religions 9. Moses is recognized as a national liberator, religious reformer and lawgiver and the main prophet of Judaism 7. This position of authority was g... ... middle of paper ... ...ligion and of Religious Experience.” Accessed on 4 December 2013, 7.50 pm. 6 “Ninian Smart's Seven Dimensions or Religions”. Accessed on 4 December 2013, 7.50 pm. 7 Thomas A. Robinson and Hillary Rodrigues, World Religions: A Guide to the Essentials. (Michigan: Baker Publishing Group, 2006), pp. 44 8 Peters, Francis. “The Words and Will of God.” Princeton University Press, (2003), pp. 12–13. 9 Smart, Ninian.”The World’s Religions: Old Traditions and Modern Transformations.” Cambridge University Press, (1989), pp. 10–25. 10 Vaught, Carl. “The Sermon on the mount: a theological investigation.“ Baylor University Press, (2001), pp. 11–14. 11 Thomas A. Robinson and Hillary Rodrigues, World Religions: A Guide to the Essentials. (Michigan: Baker Publishing Group, 2006), pp.132
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The growth of religious ideas is environed with such intrinsic difficulties that it may never receive a perfectly satisfactory exposition. Religion deals so largely with the imaginative and emotional nature, and consequently with such an certain elements of knowledge, the all primitive religions are grotesque to some extent unintelligible. (1877:5)
“In thinking about religion, it is easy to be confused about what it is.” (Smart, 1992) To combat this, Smart uses seven dimensions to define common characteristics of religion. Much of what will be explored will fit his dimensions. The practical and ritual dimension can been seen in all three religions through worship and rituals and patterns of behaviour. The latter are those acts that help the believer develop spiritual awareness or ethical insight, such as yoga or meditation in Buddhism and Hinduism. The experiential and emotional dimension of religion explains that religion feeds on human emotions and key events from history to illustrate this is, the enlightenment of the Buddha, or the visions of Muhammad. A person will not follow something without meaning or emotion driving it. The narrative or mythic dimension of religion refers to the use of story telling in religion. Typically, all faiths use stories to illustrate their beliefs or events in history, whether they might be of things to come, or like in this essay, stories of the Buddha, or Muhammad. The use of story telling is important as the stories are often based on accounts of history or documents that have been found. Story telling can enhance the believers faith and are often integrated into rituals. The doctrinal and philosophical dimension of religion talks about the importance of the holy books/ doctrines. Since the doctrines typically have an account of the leaders life, and the leaders are usually educated, believers read the doctrines to gain an insight into the leaders life; and thus strive to become more like them or abide by their teachings. The ethical and legal
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