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A theory of religion revised

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 June 2001

JIM STONE
JIM STONE
Affiliation:
Philosophy Department, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA 70148
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Abstract

This essay is a revision of my earlier effort to overturn the prevailing view that there is merely a ‘family resemblance’ between religions. A religion is a system of practices rationalized by beliefs according to which the practices place the practitioner in a relation-of-value to a supermundane reality so grand that it can figure centrally in the satisfaction of substantial human needs. A ‘supermundane reality’ is one that exceeds the mundane world revealed by sense perception. The theory generates a useful taxonomy of practices and theories closely related to, but substantially different from, religions.

Type
Research Article
Information
Religious Studies , Volume 37 , Issue 2 , June 2001 , pp. 177 - 189
Copyright
© 2001 Cambridge University Press

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