Beyond the Reduction of Religion to Belief: Why We Should Conceptualise the Body in the Study of Religion

Abstract

The paper demonstrates why reducing religion to a belief is analytically incorrect. First, we point to a social consensus that views religion primarily as a matter of belief. Further, we show that this consensus is shared by one of the most popular research programmes in the sociology of religion – rational choice theory. Second, we argue the consensus should be reconsidered in light of recent research on embodied religion and Charismatic Christianity. The former reveals that the workings of human cognition cannot be separated from the body. Moreover, the example of Charismatic Christianity represents a globally popular religion characterised by its distinctly corporeal character. Based on these examples, the text concludes by making a call for an epistemological break in the light of current and projected changes in religious demography.