Troublesome Transcendence: The Supernatural in the Scientific Study of Religion
Social theorists have encountered considerable difficulties in dealing with the troublesome phenomenon of religious transendence in their effort to generate a scientifically cogent understanding of religious ideas and behavior. This paper groups the various approaches of major theorists to the trans...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
1974
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| In: |
Sociological analysis
Year: 1974, Volume: 35, Issue: 3, Pages: 167-180 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (JSTOR) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Social theorists have encountered considerable difficulties in dealing with the troublesome phenomenon of religious transendence in their effort to generate a scientifically cogent understanding of religious ideas and behavior. This paper groups the various approaches of major theorists to the transcendent religious phenomenon under three types which are described as scientific reductionism, symbolic functionalism, and phenomenological numinalism. A critical evaluation of each type reveals that only the last type, phenomenological numinalism, is capable of taking seriously the numinal or transcendent element in religion while simultaneously protecting the scientific objectivity of the observer. |
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| ISSN: | 2325-7873 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Sociological analysis
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/3710647 |