Sacred Intersections:
Religious Dimensions of Human Existence

History of Religions and Phenomenology

This page is designed to assist my students and any other students interested in the subject of what I have called "Sacred Intersections." The course analyzes religion an an essential and universal feature of human existence. We explore the human thirst for the discovery and assurance of meaning and value in our existence. This discovery of meaning and value can be designated as a sacred experience, whether it is pursued through traditional religious beliefs and practices or through religiously camouflaged non-sectarian, non-theological ideas and behaviors. Such a sacred expereince or hierophany occurs when individuals and groups recognize the need to transcend the mundane and profane aspects of an idiosyncratic existence. Profane existence, when it is not interrupted by the sacred, prevents us from rising above the chaotic pressures of daily life which seem to lack any foundational meaning, value, or purpose.

We are looking to formulate together a broader, liberating definition of religion that is not viewed as a limited, impractical component of life restricted to special, decorated buildings. Rather, we can symbolize religion as an enormous system of intersecting, three-dimensional highways enabling humans to stabilize and enhance authentic, noble interconnections, symbolic boundaries, legitimations, and obligations. Along the way we can examine the authenticity of competing, sometimes camouflaged, sacred canopies that humans have erected for themslves. The meaninglessness of modern existence is reinforced both by a sense of space as undifferentiated and homogeneous and by a perception of time as high-pressure, unrelenting schedule or as a ticking clock at a boring job. Time could be set in more meaningful order through rhythms of the calendar and the celebration of recurring significant events that have existential value for us.

We take our cue for this approach to religion from the discipline of "phenomenology" or the "the history of religions," as developed by the great religion scholar Mircea Eliade. The technical term "phenomenology" has varied meanings among different scholars. Several ideas are bound up with the term in our study.

• Phenomenology resists the modern scholarly drive to empty religious experience of all independent meaning. Psychologists, sociologists, and economists presume to translate religious experience into the terms of their narrow disciplines and expect us to accept that their respective explanations exhaust the meaning of religious experience. Such one-dimensional, simple-minded approaches must be set aside, since religious experience belongs to its own plane of existence and cannot be totally reduced to non-religious causes and explanations.
• Phenomenology is also sympathetic rather than hostile to the study of religion. The phenomenologist temporarily brackets his or her personal hostilities, values, and prejudices long enough to try to understand the religion under study. For example, we cannot understand a religion or culture distasteful to us by throwing stones at it from a distance. We must approach closer, although it may be hard to leave our outrage at the door to listen sympathetically. After our study we may return to our values and judgments, but now with greater understanding and competence to confront the issues.
• Phenomenology defines religion in an inclusive sense of world-view. Smug modern Westerners may imagine that they have progressed beyond the supposedly primitive need for religion but are nevertheless experiencing and vigorously practicing non-traditional forms of religious life. Various forms of nationalism function to explain the meaning of life to a population and are valid candidates for religious analysis. Such candidates include Marxism and National Socialism. Sporting events function religiously for some people as well.

Reflections on Sacred Intersections

A study of Sacred Intersections should assist students in their intellectual, professional, and social development in the following areas.

• Increased awareness of the diverse and innovative ways that we still encounter sacredness as meaning, value, and purpose beyond the profane and mundane flow of life.
• Respect for religion as a valuable, anthropologically and sociologically essential phenomenon deserving investigation and participation.
• Appreciation of the character, tradition, and ongoing relevance of human nature as homo religiosus. Religion is rooted in human nature and should not be restricted or imprisoned in phonebook institutions. To understand the full scope of human existence, we must go beyond an estimation of humanity as merely homo faber and homo sapiens. We not only make and employ tools and display intelligence and manipulate data. We should also not neglect our existence as homo symbolicus. We create symbols and symbol systems. Moreover, we also can rise above chaos and meaninglessness to find orientation.
• Insightful caution in responding to the all-consuming demands of economic, vocational, and governmental forces that seek to restrict the total meaning and value of existence.
• Self-consciousness of the sacred canopy that we construct around ourselves enabling us both to resist its absolute sovereignty and to accept its proper calls for responsibility.
• Willingness to evaluate the demands of western clock time with a view to higher priorities.
• Interest in the culturally determined and religiously rooted meanings and measurements of time.

Print Resources for the study of Sacred Intersections

• Ninian Smart, Worldviews: Crosscultural Explorations of Human Beliefs. Third Edition. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2000. Prof. Smart writes about religion in a lucid, sympathetic, and cheerful fashion. He uses his "dimensions of religion" to structure some of his material. He encourages cultural literacy on the part of his readers by his summarizing of lots of essential history, facts, and concepts from various religions that ought to be familiar to all educated Americans.
• Lawrence S. Cunningham and John Kelsay, The Sacred Quest: An Invitation to the Study of Religion. Third Edition. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2002. The authors explore the main features of religion with good explanation and some detail. They conduct their explorations in the tradition of Eliade. They include annotated bibliographies and some interesting "Thought Experiments" at the end of each chapter. They propose that "Religion signifies those ways of viewing the world which refer to (1) a notion of sacred reality (2) made manifest in human experience (3) in such a way as to produce long-lasting ways of thinking, feeling, and acting (4) with respect to problems of ordering and understanding existence." (p. 22)
• Our intellectual and spiritual guide in our explorations of the phenomenology of religion is Mircea Eliade who was quite a prolific writer. A selection of his works is presented briefly here. Although Eliade himself recommended The Myth of the Eternal Return as the first of his books to be read, I would rather recommend The Quest, Myth and Reality, and Myths, Dreams, and Mysteries.
  • The Quest: History and Meaning in Religion. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1969. This work includes programmatic essays, setting forth Eliade's vision of the character and potential of the discipline of history of religions. Our culture that has endured a devastating process of desacralization, by which existence has been deprived of meaning and value, needs a new humanism to point the way to a rediscovery of sacred experience.
  • Myth and Reality. Translated by Willard R. Trask. New York: Harper Torchbooks, 1963. The negative use of the word "myth" over the last 2500 years is a mistake. Myth is really sacred story that explains our origins and meaning. Myth is not just a feature of ancient or primitive societies but survives in camouflaged form in our own times.
  • Myths, Dreams, and Mysteries: The Encounter Between Contemporary Faiths and Archaic Realities. Translated by Philip Mairet. New York: Harper Colophon Books, 1960. Our sympathetic encounter with the symbols and sacred stories of non-Western cultures could provide great inspiration to our own reflections and values.
  • The Myth of the Eternal Return or, Cosmos and History. Translated by Willard R. Trask. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1965. Major existential issues in both archaic and modern thinking are treated here, including our obsession with the beginnings, the value of exemplary models or paradigms, the urgent desire to refresh time, and the symbolisms of the center.
  • The Sacred and the Profane: The Nature of Religion. Translated by Willard R. Trask. New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, Inc., 1959. A thorough exploration of sacred and profane modes of existence, describing humanity's encounter with sacred reality and meaning in space and time.

Online Resources for Sacred Intersections

• An interesting and enlightening defense of Eliade in his historical context is offered by Kelly L. Ross.
• Dr. Ross also offers a glossary of special terms used by Mircea Eliade in his book, The Sacred and the Profane.
• Bryan Rennie, a leading authority on the thought of Eliade, offers a brief biographical sketch of Eliade, along with an introduction to Eliade's thought, and an annotated bibliography.
• A. Scott Moreau discusses the history and characteristics of phenomenology and indicates criticisms that have been brought against this approach. The article is informative with a slight theological tone to it.
• An online version of From Primitives to Zen by Mircea Eliade is provided by J.D. Walz of Nebulous Cargo Productions.
• Also available is an online version of The History of Religions: Essays in Methodology edited by Mircea Eliade and Joseph M. Kitagawa.
• You can also get access to sacred writings of various religions of the world at the online version of The Scriptures of Mankind: An Introduction by Charles S. Braden. This work dates from 1952.

Assignments to Explore Sacred and Profane Existence

Your four projects for the course should each be about three to four pages in length. Focus on the assigned subject so that you can address the topic in a direct, clear, and accurate fashion. You should establish the routine of proofreading your papers and correcting unclear statements and errors in spelling and grammar. Remember that you are communicating your insights and knowledge to others in your writing, which should flow smoothly and lead the reader through the subject in an orderly and interesting manner. We expect or at least have the fond wish that your ability to organize your thoughts and to communicate your ideas clearly, correctly, and persuasively will greatly improve during your course of studies at the college.

• Investigate Meaningful Times: Choose twelve informants to question briefly about the most meaningful time(s) of their lives. Allow them to offer unique past events and/or recurring occasions that define their identity and existence or encapsulate the apex of their lifetime. Compare and contrast the answers you receive. Are any patterns obvious in relation to age, occupation, education, or residential setting? Give your own assessment of the answers you receive. Do not restrict answers to experiences with institutional religion or theology. Remember the broad definition of religion offered above. Also remember that this is a course in the history of religions and not in psychology.
• Define Your Cosmos: Describe the "cosmos" in which you live. The cosmos is your ordered world or the sacred canopy that gives meaning, value, and orientation to your existence. Explain the structures, foundations, relationships, and secure predictable features on which you depend. How do these supports reinforce the meaning of your world and what ideas, events, and potentialities threaten your world? What role does institutional religion or a more general spirituality play in the support of your cosmos or sacred canopy? How big a role in the cosmos is played by your job? Does your job so dominate your self-definition that the loss of this job would cause catastrophic damage to your sense of reality? How important are your family and friends? Would their loss provoke deep, hopeless despair in your own life?
• Respect for Sacred Space: In a Baltimore courtroom, a potential juror was instructed to remove his hat in a space that was considered special or sacred to the governmental officials there. What venues are special or sacred to you? In what particular ways should conduct be modified when moving from the sphere of the profane and mundane to sacred space, whether the sacredness is constituted by governmental, ecclesiastical, familial, or personal authority? A place especially meaningful to you might be a religious building, a cemetery, a park, your room, or a gym!
• Phenomenology in a Personal Vein: Describe in some detail from your own perspective and in your own words the four most significant concepts, insights, principles, or areas of information provided by the class lectures.

You can find a few hints about writing style and a list of common writing errors to avoid at my help page on Good Composition.

Return to the Lecture Hall. Thanks for the visit! This page was edited on 26 January 2002. Email is welcomed by John R. Mitchell, Part-time Instructor in Religion. © 2001-2002 Erasmus Compositor, P.O. Box 25958, Baltimore, MD 21224. For an introduction to life at the center of the world forty centuries ago, visit an old Sumerian scribe at the Nippur Quay, a wonderful Bronze Age Business District. You can also visit Villa Julie College.