Phenomenology and the "Truth Question"

1) Study the Phenomena of Religion

What Happens in Religions?
What do religions believe? What rituals do they have?
What practices? etc.

[[ 2) "Truth Question"]] -Bracketed Out

Replaced by:

2) What is the viewpoint of people within the religion?

What do these people say and believe about their religion?
What do they regard as "truth"? What is important to them?
How do they view the different phenomena, beliefs, rituals, etc.?

3) How can I better understand the religion from their point of view?

4) The "Truth Question"

Optional: Not part of phenomenology (or this course) but If you want to come back to the "truth question" this would be the step at which to do it. How can one ask if something is true or not--if one hasn't studied it enough to even understand it? And how can you understand something if you haven't listened to the people who believe it?

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Last Modified Feb. 25, 1997 Kenneth J. Banner banner@camden.rutgers.edu

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