Interpretation of the Sacred -- Religious Studies from Multiple Perspectives

Author: W.E. Payne (USA)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: What interpretive perspectives do people generally adopt when explaining religion? How do various different observational frameworks construct vastly different objects of observation? This book delves into these questions in depth. Its theme is not that everything is "just" interpretation, but rather the interpretation of the various data produced by interpretation. The author believes that as a scholar, his task is to foster various centers of ideas that can help in the study of global religious patterns and contribute to reflections on the methodology of religious studies. To establish a methodology for cross-cultural comparative religious studies and provide multiple approaches to understanding the relationship between the universal, cross-cultural continuity of religion and cultural specificity—this book represents the author's efforts to achieve this goal. It has been welcomed by many universities in the United States and around the world, becoming a required reading in relevant fields.
People generally adopt what interpretive perspectives when explaining religion? How do various different observational frameworks construct vastly different objects of observation? This book delves into these questions in depth. Its theme is not that everything is "just" interpretation, but rather the interpretation of the various data produced by interpretation. The author believes that as a scholar, his task is to foster various centers of ideas that can help in the study of global religious patterns and contribute to reflections on the methodology of religious studies. To establish a methodology for cross-cultural comparative religious studies and provide multiple approaches to understanding the relationship between the universal, cross-cultural continuity of religion and cultural specificity—this book represents the author's efforts to achieve this goal. It has been welcomed by many universities in the United States and around the world, becoming a required reading in relevant fields.