Atheism, faith, and the social scientific study of religion

The social "scientific"; study of religion originated in atheism and the basic theses pursued today, especially by psychologists and anthropologists, are little changed since they were first proposed by militant opponents of religion in the seventeenth and early eighteenth century. In this...

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Détails bibliographiques
Auteur principal: Stark, Rodney 1934-2022 (Auteur)
Type de support: Électronique Article
Langue:Anglais
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Publié: Carfax Publ. [1999]
Dans: Journal of contemporary religion
Année: 1999, Volume: 14, Numéro: 1, Pages: 41-62
Accès en ligne: Volltext (Resolving-System)
Description
Résumé:The social "scientific"; study of religion originated in atheism and the basic theses pursued today, especially by psychologists and anthropologists, are little changed since they were first proposed by militant opponents of religion in the seventeenth and early eighteenth century. In this essay I trace these links from major scholar to major scholar across the centuries. I then examine the remarkable irony that the recent emergence of a truly scientific approach to religion was accomplished mainly by an influx of "believers";. I sketch why and how this happened before turning to an assessment of the persistence of atheistic biases. I conclude with suggestions about how a truly scientific study of religion can be pursued by both believers and unbelievers, if not by fanatics of either stripe.
ISSN:1469-9419
Contient:Enthalten in: Journal of contemporary religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/13537909908580851