Six Ways of Being Religious: A Framework for Comparative Studies of Religion [Paperback]

Dale W. Cannon (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0534253326 | ISBN-13: 978-0534253325 | Publication Date: August 7, 1995 | Edition: 1

This text gives students a framework for their comparative study of religion that includes full, in-depth descriptions of each 'way of being religious.'

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing; 1 edition (August 7, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0534253326
• ISBN-13: 978-0534253325
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,042,796 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comparative Religion, December 15, 2000

By 

Gordon F. Diss (Oro Valley AZ, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Six Ways of Being Religious: A Framework for Comparative Studies of Religion (Paperback)

This book encourages readers to exhibit the intellectual fortitude and cultural sensitivity for comparing the world's diverse religions in a meaningful way. Dale adopts a neutral, non-judgmental approach to the study of comparative religions. Although the book is not presented from a Christian perspective, it is perfectly consistent with such a perspective. The reader is not asked to question his or her own faith. Rather, the book provides a framework that can be used to appreciate different ways of being religious.

Part 1 defines the main concepts and discusses what it means to be objective. To be objective in a detached, cold and impersonal way would be a disaster in trying to truly understand religious phenomena. Dale discusses the need to be empathic if one is to succeed in understanding the various ways of being religious. Being empathic about another religion or another denomination does not mean that one has to abandon or question ones own faith.

Empathy is essential if one is to appreciate the different ways people draw closer to God. Any attempt to understand another religion or a different denomination would surely be superficial if one approached it without empathy or from a self-righteous perspective. As Dale says, "This approach involves a disciplined empathy, seeking to make accessible to the outsider what is understood and experienced by persons on the inside...."

After establishing the philosophic underpinnings of the book, part one then identifies and explores the six generic ways of being religious. These are Sacred Rite, Right Action, Devotion, Shamanic Mediation, Mystical Quest and Reasoned Inquiry. Each way of being religious is a different way of drawing near to what Dale calls °Ultimate Reality.

The second part of the book applies this framework to the whole of Buddhism (Chapter 7) and to the whole of Christianity (Chapter 8). I found Chapter 8 especially helpful in understanding the differences between Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Roman Catholicism and Protestantism and the diversity within Protestantism.

Part 3 takes each of the six ways of being religious and uses them to compare and contrast Buddhism and Christianity. It juxtaposes an example of the same way of being religious from each of Buddhism and Christianity.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in deepening their understanding of their own religion or other religions. The book excels in pointing out similarities between disparate religions, but yet never glosses over important differences. The book is extremely well organized. Dale ends each chapter with a convenient summary, so if the going gets tough, try reading the summary first. Each chapter has a good bibliography that can be used for further reading on that topic.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Empathetic...generic...somewhat dull, February 14, 2005

By 

Hesper Arnot - See all my reviews

This review is from: Six Ways of Being Religious: A Framework for Comparative Studies of Religion (Paperback)

I majored in Compartive Religion and Cannon's book was useful to a point...but be wary Cannon can be a bit on the dry side. His writing is not here to entertain so I would not recommend this book to a anyone who was not serious in the study of religion.
He presents good ideas, but the way he writes them overall is lacking. The book is generic...a fact revealed through Cannon's love for being empathetically objective. No its not cold and detached, it's more along the lines of post civil rights area ideals: justice, truth and everyone gets their due.
...Except the outsiders. This is the major flaw of his work in my opinion. Cannon likes to present his theory as pro-insider. The insider being the person who is actually apart of the religion mentioned. Some, I think would agree with this view. I however do not. Seeing religion from one angle only makes it lopsided. Cannon disregards the affects of society and culture on religion and vice versa. And to say that a scientist or philosopher knows nothing about religion simply because they are not in it is a fallacy.
Once again, this might be someones cup of tea, but it is not mine.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book, worth the work, December 18, 1999

By 

Huseyin Cavdar - See all my reviews

This review is from: Six Ways of Being Religious: A Framework for Comparative Studies of Religion (Paperback)

This book is a one of the books that has changed how I think about the world. As I study how religion and people interact, this book gives a framework to work within. At times the material is clearly written for other professors and professionals. But dispite the work it takes to get thru some of the material, the content is very valuable. This book is having the same kind of impact for me that "Diffusion of Innovation" had.