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Religious Studies & Theology vocabulary · Study of Religion

Comparative religion

Meaning in religious studies & theology, with examples

nounCore term

In religious studies & theology, comparative religion means: The academic study of the similarities and differences between religions, such as their beliefs, rituals, scriptures and institutions.

In Turkish: karşılaştırmalı dinler, dinler tarihi, karşılaştırmalı din araştırmaları

How it is used

An older name for much of what is now called religious studies, associated with nineteenth-century scholars such as Max Müller. Today it often refers to a method: comparing a theme, for example fasting or sacred space, across several traditions.

Example sentences

  1. Comparative religion asks whether concepts like 'scripture' fit every tradition equally well.

  2. She teaches comparative religion with a focus on Islam and Christianity in Anatolia.

Common collocations

  • study comparative religion
  • comparative religion course
  • comparative method
  • comparative study of religion
  • religious studiesAn academic field that studies religions from the outside, using methods from history, sociology, anthropology, psychology and philosophy, without judging which beliefs are true.
  • phenomenology of religionAn approach to studying religion that describes religious phenomena as believers experience them, while setting aside the question of whether their claims are true.
  • syncretismThe blending of beliefs, practices or symbols from different religious traditions into a new form.
  • interfaith dialogueOrganized conversation and cooperation between people of different religions, aimed at mutual understanding rather than at converting one another.

More terms: Study of Religion

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