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Religious Studies & Theology vocabulary · Study of Religion

Phenomenology of religion

Meaning in religious studies & theology, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In religious studies & theology, phenomenology of religion means: An approach to studying religion that describes religious phenomena as believers experience them, while setting aside the question of whether their claims are true.

In Turkish: din fenomenolojisi

How it is used

Associated with Rudolf Otto, Gerardus van der Leeuw, Mircea Eliade and Ninian Smart. Key ideas are epoché (bracketing one's own judgements), empathy and the comparison of types of phenomena such as sacrifice, prayer or sacred time.

Example sentences

  1. The phenomenology of religion asks what prayer means to those who pray, not whether prayers are answered.

  2. Critics argue that the classical phenomenology of religion paid too little attention to history and power.

Common collocations

  • classical phenomenology of religion
  • phenomenological approach
  • phenomenology and history of religions
  • 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.
  • comparative religionThe academic study of the similarities and differences between religions, such as their beliefs, rituals, scriptures and institutions.
  • sacredSet apart and treated with special reverence because of a connection to God, the divine or religious tradition; often contrasted with the profane, or ordinary.
  • hermeneuticsThe theory and method of interpretation, especially of sacred texts; it asks how readers can understand a text written in another time, language and culture.

More terms: Study of Religion

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