Research beliefs can be enlightening. However, it can bring up powerful emotions. So, a structured comparative religion research process helps you stay on track. Come and learn the benefits of comparative religious study tools.
Research is not boring if you have the right topic and process. We’re here to share a process you can use which will spark your intellectual and spiritual growth.
You don’t understand the basic assumptions of your own culture, if your own culture is the only culture you know. ― Alan Watts
Mr. Watts uses the term assumptions of your own culture to tell us most people are unaware of their biases and prejudices because they are a part of the norm. (1) Our cultural narrative is invisible, and most are unaware of other worldviews available for comparison. Therefore, we make assumptions out of ignorance.
He points out one of the primary reasons for studying our assumptions. Understanding what we believe and why gives us perspective. Comparative religious study tools help us to unravel our beliefs and values by understanding other systems of thought. When we approach our beliefs in this way, we can walk on our sacred ground without fear.
Understanding Different Belief Systems
Researching beliefs and conducting religious beliefs analysis illuminates our own sacred ground. So, it can be an emotional roller-coaster. This is why a systematic approach is helpful. A structured approach minimizes the interference of our emotions and preconceived judgments. The benefits of comparative religious study tools last long after the research has been conducted. We’ll discuss these benefits a little later.
Following the steps of the structured comparative religious research is important because it helps you stay organized and focused. When you follow a clear plan, you can systematically gather and analyze information without getting overwhelmed. This approach ensures that you cover all necessary aspects of your targeted subject, making your research thorough and balanced. It also helps you avoid missing important details and keeps your work consistent. Overall, a structured process makes your research more efficient and reliable.
Structured comparative religion research tools are based on the scientific process. The scientific method is a process for developing new knowledge and theories. It corrects errors in previous hypotheses. It’s a proven method that uses common sense, logic, and verifiable data to arrive at conclusions. This approach promotes a healthy, skeptical mindset. By understanding different belief systems, we can better understand our own.
Here, the process starts by looking inward. We pick a topic or concept and then investigate our assumptions, biases, and prejudices about this targeted subject. As we are engaged in researching beliefs, we can guard against being biased.
When we start by listing our own beliefs and why we believe them, we quickly discover how preconceived judgements can skew research findings. As we unearth them, we must decide whether to keep or discard them. As the research progresses from topic to topic, it becomes easier to leave behind harmful judgments. The less interference, the easier it becomes to appraise our worldview honestly.
This exercise provides a core beliefs worksheet that documents our sacred ground. It provides a clear picture of what we think and why by exposing the programming of our thinking.
Using structured comparative religion research will help you take off the blinders of the cultural narrative. To understand a culture, you need to compare it with another. Comparison expands our perspective on the subject. So, understanding assumptions requires knowledge of two or more cultural elements. Your observational perspective expands in proportion to the number of worldviews you understand.
The Steps of Structured Comparative Religion Research
While engaging in this process, stop every 15 to 20 minutes to check your emotions. Emotional checks will help you do more accurate research with less emotional stress. If you are not familiar with this type of quality check, follow the link to learn more.
Believe it or not, this can be some intensive inner work. It is especially true if you deal with topics related to your beliefs. So, please stop and assess your emotional equilibrium.
1. Pick a Topic and Outline Your Beliefs
Pick a subject for comparison and list your beliefs and assumptions about it. Leave nothing out. When we talk about leaving nothing out, it means to list all the ideas and beliefs on the subject. Putting your opinions in writing will help you identify your preconceived ideas. After selecting a topic, find sources for your data comparison.
A good place to start is with your most sacred or most important beliefs. This is your sacred ground. For example, it could be the belief in a higher power. Now list everything about your higher power. Perhaps they have a name, Mithra. What do you know about them?
Now you have a topic and you also have a list of the ideas and beliefs that are your preconceived ideas about the subject. When you search for higher powers in other systems, you begin the process of religious beliefs analysis. The knowledge you gain by understanding different belief systems will enrich your own beliefs.
2. Gather Data — Researching Beliefs
Next, gather the data if you can, go to the library. Then, find data from valid sources. Use books from authors outside the worldview you are researching. Sources from the paradigm you are exploring likely have a biased opinion. You want data you can verify with independent sources. Don’t rush to religious beliefs analysis until you gather all the pertinent data. Don’t leave out sources because they contradict your own sacred ground.
Take your list of sacred ground and start researching it with a variety of sources. Always use resources outside of your own belief system, as authors within your paradigm are likely to have biased opinions.
3. Record Facts
Now, record the facts and ask yourself questions about what they could mean. Don’t develop conclusions. List all the possibilities and brainstorm to find new connections and conclusions. Researching beliefs may require more in-depth study within the religions you’ve selected, or you may expand it when you discover new data. Go where the data leads.
Be sure you record facts and not your opinion about the facts.
4. Form an Initial Hypothesis
Form a hypothesis. Again, brainstorm on the implications of the verifiable data. What story does it tell? List all the possibilities. List the most probable and the least probable. Please don’t overlook the importance of this step, which is a high predictor of validity.
What is possible is entirely different from very probable. For example, confidence that the sun will rise tomorrow is highly likely. It’s a conclusion based on the previous days when the sun rose. The probability that your imaginary friend, your God, actually exists is the least likely assumption.
5. Test of the Initial Hypothesis or Findings
Time to test the various hypotheses. Ask yourself, does your hypothesis reflect the facts and the logic of the argument? What is most likely and least likely? Is the theory of an imaginary friend logical? What are the sources of the data? How many sources are you using? What does the data say?
Our example above with a higher power is an excellent place to start. What is more or least likely to be true? All the arguments used to prove or disprove the existence of one God apply to them all. This is a lesson from understanding different belief systems.
The same arguments for the existence of Odin are the same for Jesus or any other God. They both use historical documents and the number of people who believe in their stories as anecdotal proof.
Asking questions about what the data means is a key step in religious beliefs analysis. So, it’s essential to go slow and take emotional check-in breaks regularly. We recommend stopping to assess your emotional equilibrium every 30 minutes.
When our eyes are open to the hypocrisy and contradictions of religion, it can be upsetting if our identity is wrapped up in mythology. We learn from this short example that if belief equaled fact, all gods would be real, and that really undermines the dictates of each religion, which believes that theirs is the only correct God. You can see how this doesn’t make logical sense.
6. Develop Conclusions — Religious Beliefs Analysis
The last step is developing your conclusions. What does the data support? What new questions does this raise? Do we need more data? Does this help me understand my assumptions? Does my understanding of different belief systems help me understand my own?
These steps of structured comparative religion research either confirms one or more hypotheses or prompt us to ask other questions and do more research. Remember, a skeptic is a Freethinker guided by common sense and logic. Don’t skip steps, and don’t rush to conclusions until you complete your due diligence.
Write about what you believe and why. This is an important aspect of religious beliefs analysis. Then, ask yourself whether it makes sense. Here’s a core beliefs worksheet example:
— I believe in a God. Why? Because that was a part of our family culture, that’s what the Bible says. Does this belief make sense? We’ll not.
— I believe aliens visit our planet and maybe even help build some monuments like the pyramids on the Giza Plateau. Why? It’s hard to explain how primitive people built the pyramids without knowledge of engineering techniques and heavy equipment. Does it make sense? I’m not sure, but I don’t see a better explanation. The core beliefs test shows me I should examine other options.
The Benefits of Comparative Religious Study Tools
Here are twelve benefits of conducting structured comparative religious research:
1. Greater Bandwidth of Perspective
Researching beliefs broadens your understanding by exposing you to diverse beliefs and practices, helping you appreciate the richness of different cultures and traditions.
Exploring the beliefs of a foreign system is more accessible than investigating our own. That’s because researching and understanding different belief systems does not threaten our sacred ground. This is the value of comparative religious study tools. We learn to see our holy ground from a different perspective.
Gaining a new perspective is essential for any religious devotee. It will keep you from slipping into extremist views that are harmful to others. It isn’t a coincidence that people have the same religion as their parents. The strategy of most religions is to indoctrinate children early in life. So, they have no other narrative to compare with their paradigm. They learn not to question our cultural folklore.
If you study only one religion, you are a customer for life. But, if you investigate more than one, you are less likely to become a believer in any. That is the power of knowledge. Knowledge of other systems helps us to understand our own.
Knowledge of several systems will open your eyes to the historical context, the similarities, and the contradictions. Understanding assumptions is a huge benefit. It will help you see ethnic, racial, and gender prejudices. It will help you become a freethinker in a world full of followers. One of the benefits of comparative religious study tools is how they open your mind to other possibilities.
2. Respect for Other Belief Systems
By studying various religions in a structured way, you develop a deeper respect for the beliefs and practices of others. In turn, this boosts our empathy and tolerance. Respect doesn’t mean we condone unhealthy sectarian beliefs and prejudices. It gives us insight into why some people get seduced into believing them.
3. Safe Process to Explore Sacred Ground
A structured approach provides a safe and respectful way to explore sensitive topics, ensuring that you handle sacred beliefs with care and consideration. The steps of the structured comparative religion research process help sus view other belief systems without judgment and examine our sacred ground without emotional attachment.
One of the main obstacles to spiritual exploration is our bias. Our ability to learn is directly proportional to our ability to embrace new ideas. We all have a dominant cultural narrative. Religious beliefs often dominate our cultural folklore. These control the bandwidth of our ability to see the value of new ideas. This study enables us to discuss our closely held beliefs in safety.
We can explore ideas and beliefs outside our worldview. This type of study will give people practical experience in understanding assumptions. It is easier to see the assumptions of others first. We can do this without emotional attachment. This perspective enables us to see our beliefs with more clarity.
It can help us unplug the emotional ties surrounding our own religious beliefs. It allows us to weigh them with common sense and logic and keeps our prejudices from holding back our progress.
4. Understanding Our Own Beliefs and Values
Comparing different religions helps you to reflect on your own beliefs and values. This reflection can lead to a deeper understanding of your own spiritual or philosophical ground, allowing you to see how your beliefs fit into the broader context of human thought and experience.
It prompts the question, if what you believe is wrong, can you change your beliefs? If you are locked into a belief system, you are more likely to be manipulated by those who control the system. Don’t let this be you. By understanding different belief systems, you will have more control over the programming of your own psyche.
5. Enhances Critical Thinking
When you use a process like the six steps of Comparative Analysis, you enhance your logic and common sense. Understanding our minds is an extra benefit.
This research sharpens your critical thinking skills. By analyzing, comparing, and contrasting different religious systems, you learn to think deeply and question assumptions. This process encourages you to evaluate evidence, consider multiple perspectives, and develop well-reasoned conclusions.
6. Improved Analytical Skills
Structured research helps you develop strong analytical skills. By systematically examining and interpreting complex information, you become better at identifying patterns, making connections, and drawing insights from your findings.
7. Balanced Perspective
A structured approach ensures that your study is balanced and unbiased. By considering multiple viewpoints, you avoid focusing solely on one perspective, which helps you develop a more comprehensive and fair understanding of the religions you are studying.
8. Cultural Awareness
Conducting comparative religious research increases your awareness of different cultural practices and traditions. This awareness promotes a more inclusive worldview, helping you appreciate the diversity of human experience and fostering a sense of global citizenship.
9. Academic Rigor
Following a structured process adds rigor to your research. This rigor makes your findings more credible and academically sound, as you adhere to established research methods and standards.
10. Personal Growth
Engaging in this type of research can lead to personal growth. As you gain new insights and a deeper understanding of the world around you, you may find that your own perspectives and attitudes evolve, leading to greater self-awareness and personal development.
11. Enhanced Communication Skills
Explaining and discussing your findings with others improves your ability to communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively. This skill is valuable not only in academic settings but also in everyday conversations and professional environments.
12. Interdisciplinary Connections:
Comparative religious research often intersects with other fields like history, sociology, and anthropology. These interdisciplinary connections enrich your overall knowledge and understanding, providing a more holistic view of the subjects you are studying.
These expanded points highlight the diverse and far-reaching benefits of conducting structured comparative religious research.
Tips For Conducting Research
Pick a subject and then at least four different beliefs for comparison. Start with the chosen topic in your belief system. Then, pick at least three from other belief systems.
For example, many people believe in a sect of the Abrahamic religions (2). These are the Semitic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. If you are a believer in a branch of these religions, pick three others.
Then, pick at least one from Eastern-based traditions. Eastern religious traditions come from two main lines: India and Asia.
— The Indian traditions include Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism.
— The Asian religions include Taoism, Shinto, Confucianism, and East Asia Buddhism.
Then, pick one belief system from the earlier roots of the Abrahamic tree.
— These are Egyptian, Babylonian, Persian, and Assyrian mystery religions circa 1 BCE.
If you want to expand the comparison, pick one of the Pagan systems like Wicca. Then, finish with non-religious approaches to atheism and agnostic thought.
Some Things You’ll Likely Discover
First, the more studies you complete, the more you value understanding our assumptions. You will spot the assumptions as biased and prejudiced, and your preferences will become clear. Understanding core beliefs gives you the power to change those you find harmful.
Second, the most successful rebranding effort is the Abrahamic traditions. These are the modern religions of Semitic origin, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. However, you won’t hear this from them unless to do some research. They are rebranding Egyptian, Babylonian, Persian, and Assyrian mystery religions. One source of this data comes from their internal documents. The Catholic Encyclopedia from 1907 is one of the best resources for finding information not meant for public consumption.
Admission of Pagan Origin
Symbolism in a greater or lesser degree is essential to every kind of external worship, and we need not shrink from the conclusion that in the matter of baptisms and washings, of genuflection’s and other acts of reverence, of lights and sweet-smelling incense, of flowers and white vestitures, of spiritual unction’s and the imposing of hands, of sacrifice and the rite of the Communion banquet, the Church has borrowed without hesitation from the common stock of significant actions known to all periods and all nations. In such matters as these, Christianity claims no monopoly or originality. ― The Catholic Encyclopedia and International Work, Vol. 14 (1907).
Belief Systems, Gods, and Religions for Study
Here are some examples of our favorites. It is not an exhaustive list, just examples: Aladura, Asatru, Bahā’ī Faith, Buddhism, Cao Dai, Chinese Religion, Christianity (5,000 + variations and growing), Confucianism, Druze, Eckankar, Epicureanism, Falun Gong, Gnosticism, Greco-Roman religion, Hare Krishna, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Judaism, Mayan religion, Mormonism, Mithraism, Nation of Islam, New Age, New Thought, Olmec Religion, Paganism, Rastafarianism, Scientology, Seventh-day Adventist Church, Shinto, Sikhism, Spiritualism, Taoism, Unification Church, Wicca, Witchcraft and Zoroastrianism.
Examples of Topics for Research
— How do different belief systems approach the subject of a higher power or God?
— How are the subjects of spirits and spirit guides handled in different systems?
— What are the similarities or differences in salvation between Western and Eastern religions?
In Conclusion
The structured comparative religion research process is a fascinating and enriching endeavor that allows us to explore ourselves by researching beliefs. This structured approach will guide you through the process of examining a religious concept important to your own beliefs and comparing it with perspectives from other traditions. The benefits of comparative religious study tools like those we’ve discussed is the cornstone of any healthy spiritual practice.
References
(1) Alan Watts, Wikipedia.
(2) Abrahamic Religions, Wikipediare