Comparative religion is the branch of the study of religions with the systematic comparison of the doctrines and practices, themes and impacts of the world's religions. In general the comparative study of religion yields a deeper understanding of the fundamental philosophical concerns of religion such as ethics, metaphysics and the nature and forms of salvation. It also considers and compares the origins and similarities shared between the various religions of the world. Studying such material facilitates a broadened and more sophisticated understanding of human beliefs and practices regarding the sacred, numinous, spiritual and divine.
A statue of Ibn Hazm, father of modern comparative religious studies, in Córdoba Spain.
The Rig Veda is one of the oldest Vedic texts. Shown here is a Rig Veda manuscript in Devanagari, early nineteenth century.
Religious studies, also known as the study of religion, is the scientific study of religion. There is no consensus on what qualifies as religion and its definition is highly contested. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing empirical, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.
Totem poles reflect the beliefs of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast; some scholars of religious studies argue that the term "religion" is too Western-centric to encompass the beliefs and practices of non-Western civilizations.
Max Müller; the first professor of comparative philology at Oxford University and author of Introduction to the Science of Religion.
