What can the examination of religious texts tell us about...

â€Å"Religious text-Definition- writing that is venerated for the worship of a deity† (Soanes, 2005). During the early nineteenth century it was the writer Max Muller that said for the study of religion the religious text should be a scholar’s primary source and focus of their studies. But is this correct? If religious texts are the only evidence that scholars use to study religion can an accurate picture and understanding of religion be gained? But is Max Muller Correct in his assumption? As a result of this way of thinking many scholars of the twentieth century have tended to study the religious texts of a religion as a primary source for their information. Along with Max Muller, The French philosopher Jaques Derrida also gives a†¦show more content†¦Religious texts either have a narrative or expository character. There is a great variety of religious and semi religious text for example hymns, prayers, chants, myths, and stories about gods heroes epics sacred laws and they all vary in authority and degree of sacredness. Within a religion the texts are usually collected into standard works of faith or canons and they are determined by general agreement or official religious bodies at which point they are fixed and are then regarded as the authority of that religion. Ninian Smart covers the study of religious texts within his model, the seven dimensions of religion for the study of religion. The particular dimension that can be specially linked to the study of religious texts would be the narrative or mythic dimension, which Smart defines as the story side of religion. Smart also makes the point that the handing down of stories whether they are historical mysterious future telling or heroic is typical of all religions or faiths. â€Å"These stories often called myths. The term may be a bit misleading, for in the modern study of religion there is no implication that a myth is false.† (Smart, 1998) The stories that religious texts are based on are usually based on history or not as the case may be. The stories concerning creation are obviously before history and are usually concerning the subject of how death and suffering came into being.Show MoreRelatedSimilarities And Differences Between Jesus And The Quran And Hadith3011 Words   |   13 Pagesdiscussed in both texts with varied stressed importance and purposes. With both traditions established in their respective religions, it is interesting to engage the concept that these pictures of Jesus could not be mutually exclusive. Examination of the Christology and miracles of Jesus in the Quran and Hadith allows contemporary Christian readers to view Jesus through a broader, historical lens. 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