Interpreting the Sacred: Ways of Viewing Religion

by William E. Paden

Book Overview

William Paden's classic exploration in religious studies, with a new introductionIn the current climate, Interpreting the Sacred provides a fresh, thorough way to consider and compare various religious belief systems. Paden puts forth the idea that our understanding of religion influences our understanding of ourselves and our world. Updated with a new introduction, this book is for anyone who wants to consider and discuss religious beliefs. "To appreciate...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807077062
• ISBN13: 9780807077061
• Release Date: January 1992
• Publisher: Beacon Press (MA)
• Length: 157 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

Read the title -- it says it all!

I'll begin with what this book is NOT. It does not present a survey of the religions of the world, nor it does it describe a historical sequence of academic theories of religion. Personally, I feel those kinds of books have their uses, even if one is suspicious of the simplistic categories and linear models they typically contain. What Prof. Paden does is, to my mind, much more impressive. He seeks not to describe past theories, but to illustrate the variety of perspectives that informed these theories in the first place -- perspectives that are still very much with us. Most importantly, he emphasizes that perspectives are not mutually exclusive. In a world that seems to assume that religion contradicts science, and that Christians are fundamentally different from Muslims, this is an important point. I can sympathize with those who feel they would get more out of this book if they already knew a bit of theory and a little 'comparative religion.' But even on the first day of class students are already 'interpreting the sacred' -- this is an excellent compliment to more traditional survey courses, encouraging critical thought from day one. But the audience for this book shouldn't be limited to students. Anyone -- including both the devout and the atheistic -- interested in what religion means to individuals (and its role in societies) will find this a stimulating, rewarding, and fundamentally optimistic book.

A Rich Summary

This introduction to the study of religion (and to thinking about what the very term "religion" itself can mean as a tool for thought) is a superbly written and organized little book, a model of summary without loss of richness. I am especially impressed with his chapters on the social/anthropological frame of interpretation (Durkheim, et al.) and his chapter on the psychological frame of interpretation (Jung,et al.). The bibliography is a treasure trove of key works for preparatory and advanced study. Prof. Paden gives a lucid account of interpretative frames imposed on the phenomena of religion from the "outside" (etic frames) as well as those emerging from within religion itself (emic frames). His aim is neither to debunk nor to syncretize in any facile way but rather to achieve an overall and systemic understanding. This compact volume will no doubt be difficult for even a passionately interested undergraduate to work through, demanding from him serious note-taking, thinking, and discussion, but the intellectual "pay-off" down the road will be worth it. The book is the perfect platform from which to jump into further study.

A Perspective on Perspectives

William Paden presents, in Interpreting the Sacred, an enlightening overview of the ways in which scholarly disciplines have made sense of religious belief and practice. After elaborating in the initial chapters the notion of perspective as a way of creating and ordering experience, the author focuses particularly on the perspectives offered by sociology, psychology, theology, and the religions themselves. Paden's "meta-cognitive" approach thus succinctly traces the genesis of particular scholarly traditions and exemplifies the manner in which cognitive hierarchies and valuations can produce their subject matter while also explicating it. Written as it is in a lucid, non-jargonic style, I would recommend requiring this book for undergraduate introductions to religious studies, and I believe that more advanced scholars could benefit from the book's postmodern but pragmatic approach to the study of religion.