File:Religious_syms.svg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
religious studies
Sign in to saveAlso known as study of religion, ethnography of religion, religion, religiology, Scientific study of religion
objective study of religion
Religious studies is the academic field that examines religion from a neutral, analytical perspective rather than promoting any particular faith. It matters because it helps us understand the beliefs, practices, and impacts of religions across different cultures and throughout history.
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Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- academic discipline
- Subclass of
- social science
- Image
- Religious syms.svg
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- topic's main category
- Category:Religious studies
- Commons category
- Religious studies
- is the study of
- religion
- different from
- religious education
- on focus list of Wikimedia project
- Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4
- P8168
- Nancy Friday
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via Wikidata · CC0
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Encyclopedic overview
Various religious symbols representing the world's largest religions (from left to right): 1st row: Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism 2nd row: Islam, Buddhism, Shinto 3rd row: Sikhism, the Baháʼí Faith, Jainism
Religious studies, also known as religiology or the study of religion, is the study of religion from a historical or scientific perspective. There is no consensus on what qualifies as religion and its definition is highly contested. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing empirical, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “religious studies” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.