Comparative Religion Its Method And Scope Second PDF Download

Excerpt from Comparative Religion, Its Method and Scope: A Paper Read (in Part) At the Third International Congress of the History of Religions, Oxford, September 17, 1908 A difficult problem has been confronting students of religion for a considerable period, and the embarrassment of the situation has been steadily growing. If we shall find ourselves able to reach and register a verdict, or if our present discussion should succeed only in making more clear the principles that underlie a widely prevalent diversity of opinion, we shall assist in removing an issue by which many are still perplexed, and in lending impetus to a line of inquiry that desires and deserves our help. To me, it is a source of unbounded satisfaction that room has been made in our programme, this year, for several papers that deal expressly with Comparative Religion. One reader has chosen for his subject 'A Science of Comparative Religion,' and I know in advance that he is going to bring us an affirmative answer to that query. It has long been one of my dreams that I might yet see this vast and expanding department of investigation accorded that place and prominence to which it is entitled. The action of the Executive Committee of this Congress - their courageous new departure, reference to which has already been made - cannot fail to contribute materially towards the realization of this hope. Further subdivision of the work undertaken by these quadrennial conferences will eventually follow, with results of the very first importance for the prosecution of our studies. I. The Methods and Scope of the Science of Religion. - It is desirable that, for a moment, we should make a retrospective glance. Let us recall, as a preliminary step, the methods and scope of the Science of Religion. It is essential that one or two of the considerations which such a survey suggests should be clearly borne in mind. By 'The Science of Religion' we mean that increasing group of studies, diverse yet closely interrelated, by which man is seeking to unravel the mystery of his religious acts and aspirations. In particular, the Science of Religion is the product of the deliberate investigation of the facts of religion - and of all the facts, whatever their relative age, number, or consequence - when these data are dealt with in accordance with some clearly defined scientific method. These methods have varied very greatly, and naturally they have been applied with varying degrees of proficiency. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.