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Discussion Posts

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Discussion Posts

Post 1

The Cognitive Study of Religion (CSR) is a distinct branch in Religious Studies that

examines religion using science, emphasizing on cognition as well as brain influence towards

religious acts and thoughts. This approach came up during the 1990s as people began seeking

ways and means of comprehending religion through an evolutionary prism. It seeks to find out;

why do people think there are gods? what ways does religion affect our senses and behavior? did

humans evolve to have religion?

One of the main promises of CSR is its potential to bridge the gap between science and

religion. This is because when one looks at religion from the perspective of how it arises in the

brains, then he or she can explain it scientifically regarding why people behave like they do due

to religion, thus there might be less conflicts between science and religion. Moreover, studying

the evolution history of religion itself through analyzing contemporary forms could enable CSR

draw correlations between variously oriented faiths and their inherent practices with much ease.

In addition, understanding of religious extremism can as well be enhanced through CSR.

By examining how thinking gets radicalized in relation to certain stimuli researchers can come

up with ways of preventing or diminishing terrorist acts that rely upon religious ideologies.

However, there are also significant problems with the CSR approach that prevent it from

being fully incorporated into Religious Studies. One issue concerns its over-reliance on

reductionism; reducing rich aspects of human experience and social phenomena like religion into

mere reason does not account for other factors that may be important like culture, historical
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background and socio-political environment (Hedges, 2021). It is unreasonable to focus only on

some aspects of religion (e. g., rituals, collective behavior) while leaving aside others.

The third issue inherent in CSR is atheistic bias. According to Hedges, many supporters

of this strategy treat religion as an unreasonable faith that scientific theories should account for

rather than honouring it as cultural practice having intrinsic worth (Hedges, 2021). Due to this

prejudice, doubts arise concerning the neutrality of research, which might impede comparative

analysis across different cultures.

Aside from these internal challenges, slow adoption of CSR in Religious Studies may

also relate to opposition from faith groups. Reductionist views which reduce religion into mere

cognitive functions are seen as challenging core beliefs that most religious people have. For this

reason, there might be some resistance to including CSR among courses on Religion and

Theology since it poses a threat to the usual perceptions of religion.

Post 2

A Hindu wedding ceremony I attended has contributed to my religious inclination. When

I was young, my friend called me to go and witness her cousin’s wedding in an Indian

community center. This made me more interested as I had solely gone for Christian weddings

before and it seemed like a very interesting experience that lies ahead.

The environment overloaded my senses immediately after stepping into the community

hall. Both the bride and the groom had attired themselves with beautiful, bright saris. In addition,

there were flowers, ornate decorations of powder in different colours as well as non-stop talk

among people in attendance.

I couldn’t believe how much every part of the ceremony involved the human body once it

started happening live in front me. The music rhythm filled with blowing of trumpets, drums,

bells and cymbals filled the atmosphere while dancers moved gracefully (Hedges 2021). A priest

presiding over the service chanted some holy verses in which he extended his hands making

specific signs. During this day when they were joining hands in marriage, these ones had time to

exchange garlands before taking them back again and doing other customs signifying their unity

with each other; and they did all that with many relatives around them!

The entire time I remained very sensitive; my heart pounded as I struggled to see all at a

glance; my feet followed the tune rhythmically; I smelt the burning incense with my nostrils

wide open; I even felt like crying in some instances as various emotions overcame me.

From this event, I understood that religion encompasses deeds – not only in terms of

theory or dogmas because these follow through which affect our sense and bodies (Hedges

2021). Through it all, I also came to understand why some people believe that joining two

persons together in marriage does really unite them at all times but especially when they are

performing certain acts of worship alone or with others.

In general, this experience impacted on my perception of religion as an entirety – by this

I mean that it is more than mere contemplation or faith since there are bodily engagements

therein. With this knowledge, I can now look into religion outside a mere package of regulations

and theories while considering relevant corporeal activities incorporated in it.

In conclusion, I became more conscious about religion in the form of a physical

manifestation after participating in a Hindu wedding. Through this experience, I learnt that one

can use the sense from the surrounding as an instrument of experiencing religion better. In
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addition, I realized that I could utilize my body to improve my interaction with different religious

rituals and occasions. According to Hedges (2021), “We come to know what is termed the

‘religious’ always and only through our embodied experiences” (p. 218). This implies that

researchers examining religion must take into account embodiment.

Post 3

Research Insights

From my exploration of Sojourner Truth’s attack on the first brand of feminism, I

discovered that there are four significant contributions which will enhance our comprehension

of religion as well.

1. Intersectionality: Firstly, the research established that first wave feminism concentrated

on issues concerning the rights and experiences of a particular group of women which includes;

“white, educated and middle-class.” However, Sojourner truth brought out in open about looking

one’s race and being female. She argued that fighting for justice among women is tantamount to

denying them their rights if attention is not paid to those who are oppressed through racism

combined sexism (Kohn et al., 2009). This leads us into an interrelated analysis of how religion

relates not only with some other factors like race, class or sexuality but also vice versa.

2. Embodied Spirituality: The third chapter analyzes Sojourner Truth’s emphasis on

embodied spirituality which went against the contemporary portrayal of God as an exclusive

deity that could be represented by males only hence encouraging pluralism in divine

understanding. She saw her body as holy and thought all people, irrespective of whether they
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belong in the male or female category, possessed an inherent tie linking them with an supra-

human entity whose might surpasses theirs.

3. Religious Language: Truth also faulted the inaugural feminism for incorporating

orthodox religious language that reinforced patriarchy. In her opinion, feminist movements had

to do away with such forms of religious symbols that were oppressing and adopt ones which

gave just treatment to every person equally (Kohn et al., 2009).

4. Resistance Through Action: Another crucial element of activism by Sojourner truth

was resistance through taking positive steps as opposed to mere reliance on theories or

discussions. The speech “Ain’t I a woman?” made her go against the norm and state out boldly

what she feels being an African American female in the US. It follows then that real

transformation needs nonviolent resistance but act not mere fighting words.

Us as Thinkers

As thinkers in matters of religion, Sojourner Truth enlightens every reasoned person with

a different view regarding the interconnection between sex and religious beliefs. The way she

goes against the flow in relation to the first phase feminist movement calls for us to resist, or at

least take a critical look at, those big stories that dominate the “religion and gender” conversation

(Kohn et al., 2009). And we should do more than limit equality between men and women to one

aspect because we need to consider how these relate with other factors too when we make any

analysis whatsoever of them.

This is in line with her insistence of incorporating embodied spiritual practices that are

seen outside conventional structures when defining religion. Religion encompasses much more
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than simple belief systems or practices; it includes an individual affair embodied in nature that

may affect one's sense of itself as well as relationships with others themselves.

In addition, she reveals how religious texts and symbols contain power by attacking their

linguistic forms. Scholars should analyze such power in religions which suppress some people

rights.

Finally, the activist resistance that Sojourner Truth champions serves as an important

lesson especially given the current state of affairs characterized by gender inequality and

religious discrimination issues. This requires our participation than just watching quietly on these

matters.
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References

Hedges, P. (2021). Understanding Religion: Theories and Methods for Studying Religiously

Diverse Societies (2nd ed.). University of California Press.

Kohn, D., Meer, S., & Todd, E. B. (Eds.). (2009). Transatlantic Stowe: Harriet Beecher Stowe

and European Culture. University of Iowa Press.

Richman, I. K. (2016). Sojourner Truth: Prophet of Social Justice. Routledge.

Rodrigues, H. P., & Harding, J. S. (2008). Introduction to the Study of Religion. Routledge.