In a reflective essay of 3-5 pages, and using the Christiano text, Lesson 2 and online readings, your Meet the Believers (MTB) exercise to date, and any other credible and authoritative sources you might choose, please address the following questions in depth:
- Why does religion exist for society as a whole, and what is its relevance to the modern world?
- What are FIVE common theoretical approaches used in the scientific study of religion, as discussed in Christiano’s 3rd edition and/or Lesson 2? Please describe these in detail.
- How do we know that what we have observed as religious scholars is true? How can the research methods we use help us accomplish this? Please name/describe THREE methods in detail.