Can We Compare Religions?

Thanks so much for watching today’s video, I hope you enjoy it. And if you’re new, consider subscribing. Can we compare religions? In what ways can we understand religions different from our own? We’re going to take a look at five different subtopics to help answer these questions. First, internal vs. external comparing. Second, five common categories in comparing. Third, how hermeneutics and language affects comparing. Fourth, the purposes or motivations for comparing religions. And fifth and perhaps most important, the impact on one’s current religious adherence.

0:00 Intro
1:11 External vs. internal comparing
2:39 Five common categories
4:14 Hermeneutics and language
5:35 Purposes or motivations
6:19 Impact on one’s current religious adherence
7:22 Wrap-up

**Info/Gear**
X/Twitter: @ReligionTen, @DrMarkBanas
TikTok: @drbanas
Graphics by Mark Banas. Images by Mark Banas and in public domain except where noted.
Video editing software: Davinci Resolve Studio 18 (Blackmagic Design)
Equipment: Google Pixel 6a, Glide Gear TMP 50 teleprompter, Sunpak Pro Series 66 tripod, Pop Voice PV510+ Lavalier microphone with USB-C to Headphone Jack adapter (Apple), Elegant Teleprompter app

[maureengallant]

Listened then went and read a couple of Berkeley's chapters in Alciphron or the Minute Philosopher. Getting a headache <3 My real issue is the f's for s. Talk about language difficulties. I had a particularly hard time reading the sentence about being "nurfed" after reading about the thing babies do when nurfing. Okay, maybe not a headache, but I kept having to squeeze my eyes shut and shake my head. I am trying! Thanks for all the help you offer here. It's oxygen. Back to my paffion. :)

[Steve_Petermann]

With the recent dramatic rise of disaffiliation from religious traditions there may be many seekers still looking for some metaphysical grounding for their spirituality. In those cases, I think Tillich's method of correlation can be a useful tool for evaluating and comparing alternative metaphysical systems. Using that method, the seeker can try to determine what existential questions are being focused on in the system and what answers are offered to those questions. For instance, as examples, I would say that in Buddhism the main focus is on the question of suffering and in Judaism and Christianity it is the question of the law and justice. This approach could also be used for proposed systems outside the major traditions. Once that is determined both the questions and answers can be evaluated for whether or not they seem legitimate and compelling for the particular seeker.