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Comparative Sacred Texts and Interactive Interpretation: Another Alternative to the “World Religions” Class
Author(s) -
Patton Laurie L.,
Robbins Ver K.,
Newby Gordon D.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
teaching theology and religion
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.165
H-Index - 11
eISSN - 1467-9647
pISSN - 1368-4868
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9647.2008.00479.x
Subject(s) - interpretation (philosophy) , opposition (politics) , epistemology , ethnography , argument (complex analysis) , reading (process) , sociology , pluralism (philosophy) , religious pluralism , class (philosophy) , linguistics , philosophy , anthropology , political science , religious studies , law , biochemistry , chemistry , politics
In this article we argue for an introductory course in the study of religion that proceeds through interactive interpretation as a responsible form of comparison. Interactive interpretation proceeds provisionally, and encourages students to formulate new questions of the materials instead of making final categories about the materials. We use examples from a typical classroom to show how we work with three pedagogical principles: (1) critical reading; (2) pluralism within religious traditions as well as between religious traditions; and (3) the use of the working hypothesis as a tool in analyzing religious texts. We also make an argument for textual reading as a form of living intellectual practice, which can work alongside of, and not in opposition to, other approaches to the study of religion, such as ethnographic or historical approaches.