RELI 448N Week 1 Discussion: The Study of Religion

Required Resources

Read/review the following resources for this activity:

Textbook: Chapter 1

Lesson
Minimum of 1 scholarly source (in addition to the textbook/lesson)

Initial Post Instructions

For the initial post, respond to only one of the following options:

Option 1

Choose one (1) of the following psychological views on the origin of religion:

Freud

James
Jung

Then, address the following:

Briefly describe your chosen theory as believed by the theorist.

Defend your choice by discussing why this theory is the best explanation as to the origin of religions.

Option 2

Choose two (2) of the ten reasons to study religion listed in your text and address the following:

Explain each reason.

Describe why each of your chosen reasons is important to your personal worldview.

Apply at least one of your chosen reasons to your profession and its standards of care.

Follow-Up Post Instructions

Respond to at least two peers or one peer and the instructor. Respond to a peer who chose an option different from the one you chose. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.

Writing Requirements

Minimum of 3 posts (1 initial & 2 follow-up)
Initial Post Length: 300-500 words
Minimum of 2 sources cited (assigned readings/online lessons and one outside scholarly source)
APA format for in-text citations (include page or paragraph) and references

Grading

This activity will be graded using the Discussion Grading Rubric. Please review the following link:

Link (webpage): Discussion Guidelines

Course Outcomes (CO): 1, 3

Due Date for Initial Post: By 11:59 p.m. MT on Wednesday
Due Date for Follow-Up Posts: By 11:59 p.m. MT on Sunday

Welcome to your first graded discussion of this course. You may begin posting on 10/25/20 for credit. You have two options for this discussion. If you choose option 1, keep in mind your goal. You are to select one of the philosophers: Freud, James, or Jung. You are then to briefly describe their psychological view of religion. Finally, you are to defend the philosopher’s theory as “an” explanation as to the origins of religion.

Notice that I did not say that you are to defend the philosopher whose theory you “feel” is the “best” explanation as to the origins of religion. While you may have a favorite among the three, you might also find that you don’t agree with any of them. But for this assignment, that should not impact your initial post.

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As explained in Lesson 1, in this class you are encouraged to take an Etic approach over an Emic one. The Etic, as lesson 1 explained, is the outsider’s view. As the outsider, your focus is look at the theory as presented while avoiding the temptation to include how you might feel about the individual or their theory. While this is something that you might find difficult, accepting the challenge is a valuable exercise.

Try to think of yourself as an unbiased reported, as opposed to someone who is writing an editorial. The good news, however, comes when you have the opportunity to respond to your classmates posts. It is in your responses where you can express your personal thoughts and opinions of the philosophers and their theories. Here is a link to an article that discusses the Etic and Emic. It deals specifically with Anthropology, but the application is the same for Religion. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/culturalanthropology/chapter/two-views-of-culture-etic-emic/ (Links to an external site.) 

A word of caution for all, however, is to remember that if you have an issue concerning a philosopher or their theory, make sure you aim your concerns at the philosopher or their theory, and not at the author of the thread. Let’s all work to exercise mutual respect as we engage in all our discussion.

If you choose option two, really engage the question as the instructions encourage you to do.  Meaning, if the reasons you choose are important to your world view, don’t be ashamed to share your feelings. I have seen a lot of students over the past two years share from their heart, and the results have always been positive. 

There are many reasons to study religion, however I chose two reasons which are Insight into people and Insight into family traditions. In the text, Insight into people defines “Understanding a person’s religious background tells you more about that person’s attitudes and values” (Molloy, 2020 p. 25). It is an important reason of choice because this is how you understand a person’s belief system and their values; it is also how you relate to a person or identify why the person responded the way they do or handle situations in life the way they do.

When relating to my current role as a RN field base case manager, it is imperative for me to know as a nurse the cultural beliefs of the patient so I can understand how to apply goals or understand the patient’s belief system which will allow me to share with the medical team so next steps of treatment can be in place for care of the patient. Smith (2017) emphasizes that “Nurses should have knowledge of cultural beliefs, attitudes, and traditions of the patients and families they serve so that they can communicate effectively and plan and provide appropriate, individualized patient care.”

The 2nd reason I chose is Insight into family traditions which are influences and values upheld by your family from childhood (Molloy, 2020 p. 25). When referring to family traditions, it affects the choices made in life as you progress through your adulthood. It is important from a personal worldview perspective to understand a person’s upbringing which can affect how people see things.

For instance, my children have all endured celebrating Christmas at school, especially in the younger years of life. The discretion was up to the parent if a child can celebrate Christmas and the belief system behind Christmas. Some children are conditioned to believe there is a Santa Claus while other children are privy that Santa Claus is not real, and their belief system understands that Christmas day is the day that Jesus was born. So, while my children are allowed to celebrate Christmas as a holiday; they understand that we celebrate the day Jesus is born.

References:

Molloy, M. (2020). Experiencing the world’s religions: Tradition, challenge, and change (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill

Smith N; Pravikoff D; CINAHL Nursing Guide, EBSCO Publishing, 2017 Sep 15 (Nursing Practice and Skill – CEU, cultural competency), Database: Nursing Reference Center Plus