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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 12 page paper which examines
chapters 2 and 4 of "Anatomy of the Sacred: An Introduction To Religion," by James C.
Livingston. No additional sources cited.
Page Count:
12 pages (~225 words per page)
File: JR7_RAanarel.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
religions is a very intricate and many faceted reality. As Livingston states, "Religion constitutes a field of study that includes many disciplines or scholarly methodologies. Each discipline is used
because of its appropriateness and its fruitfulness in answering certain kinds of questions" (23). We cannot expect to truly dissect or understand a religion if we only use one form
of examination. For example, if we only addressed the social conditions of religion we would not understand the psychological nor would we understand the historical significance of the religion. Livingston
presents the following illustration in these regards, stating that, "For example, if we want to find out if a sacred text is the work of one or of several authors,
we need to apply the tools of literary-documentary criticism. If we want to find out how a ritual functions in the larger cultural life of an African tribe, we would
best employ the methods used by the anthropologist" (23). In essence, it is necessary to take many approaches into play if we are to even begin to understand the various
religions, what they have in common, and what they mean, among many other fields of understanding. In better understanding the various methods presented by Livingston, and where they may
well fit, we provide a brief look at the approaches, beginning with literary criticism. "Literary criticism plays an especially important role in the study of religion because the events that
originally shape a religion and the record of it authoritative teachings are often found in a collection of sacred writings or scriptures" (Livingston 25). Textual criticism is the next form
addressed in Livingstons text, and this is an approach that delves deeply into the texts found, using "a number of methods and procedures to try to determine whether we are
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