Religion is a Personal Matter

Book excerpt: This book investigates the religious role of the individual person in a community setting as it provides a review of the chief issues of Western religion that an introductory text would address. Most Westerners with a Judeo-Christian background do not readily distinguish theological inquiry from religious phenomena. To meet this need the author reviews the chief disciplines related to the scientific study of religion under the central question: How is a person religious, both as an individual and as a member of a community? The author surveys the current history of ideas related to religious phenomena in the areas of philosophy, sociology, psychology, and Western theology.