Overview
Comparative Religion is the study of the world’s faiths side-by-side. It looks for patterns, similarities, and differences without necessarily judging which one is “true.”
Core Idea
The core idea is Phenomenology. Observing religious phenomena (rituals, myths, feelings) as they appear, objectively.
Formal Definition
The systematic comparison of the doctrines and practices of the world’s religions.
Intuition
- The Elephant: The blind men and the elephant. One touches the trunk (Islam), one the leg (Buddhism), one the tail (Christianity). Comparative religion tries to see the whole elephant (or at least describe how everyone is touching it).
- The Golden Rule: Finding that almost every religion has a version of “Treat others as you want to be treated.”
Examples
- Abrahamic Faiths: Comparing Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (Monotheism, Prophets, Scripture).
- Eastern Religions: Comparing Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism (Cyclical time, Karma, Enlightenment).
- Ritual: Comparing baptism (Christianity) with mikvah (Judaism) or Ganges bathing (Hinduism).
Common Misconceptions
- Misconception: All religions are the same.
- Correction: “God is not one.” (Stephen Prothero). They have different goals (Salvation vs. Liberation vs. Harmony).
- Misconception: You have to be an atheist to study it.
- Correction: Many scholars are believers who want to understand their neighbors.
Related Concepts
Applications
- Diplomacy: Understanding religious conflicts.
- Interfaith Dialogue: Building bridges.
Criticism and Limitations
- Superficiality: It’s easy to make shallow comparisons (“Jesus is just like Horus”) that don’t hold up to deep scrutiny.
Further Reading
- The World’s Religions by Huston Smith
- God Is Not One by Stephen Prothero