Religion and its perspectives - Book Report/Review Example

Religion and its perspectivesThe connection between religion and popular culture are diverse, numerous, sometimes problematic and many times regarded as controversial. For decades, the definition of religion has on many occasions been contested by scholars, evangelists and has always been subject to revision. David Chidester examines religious popular culture that is rarely given much attention in capitalist modernity. What is surprising is how Chidester sensibly reminds us as a society that all religions transform or through time.

In fact, David Chidester insinuates that the definition of religion in one part of the world may be entirely different from the definition from another part of the world. He uniquely tires religions to widespread societal culture and believes and that is in itself surprising. David Chidester has a primary interest in the way popular culture in various parts of the world for instance in the US works as a public religion. In his view, the simplest relationship is how religion is depicted in popular culture and how the same popular culture impacts, antagonizes or is handled by religious institutions and groupsMost notably is the way he has problematized comfortable definitions of ‘Various religion’ by suggesting that sports like baseball, music genres including rock and roll and popular consumer products like Coca-Cola are be viewed as religion since they do authentic religious duties by negotiating what it implies when being considered human person as opposed to transcendence, ultimate human concerns or the sacred.

These attributes and basis for defining religion are not only surprising but can form the basis for more expansion into the study of religion. The concerns by David Chidester and his definition of religion can further form basis of further inquiry into the roots of religion and how it impacts on daily lives of various groups of individuals.Religion may be defined as an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship and world views that have a unique relationship to humanity to a given order of existence.

The definitions will probably include acceptable symbols and sacred histories. At the same time, the religion will include traceable mythology. Due to the fact there exist so many world religions depending on the cultural setup and societal expectations, it is imperative that religion is specifically defined so as to include the broad array of beliefs. In other words religion can be considered as the devotion to a path or act of beliefs, where faith is applied as guidance, love honors the superior and more worthy authority and respect is used with practice.

This definition in my view is belief based and supports Van Voorst's initial discussion of religion. Beliefs have been keenly preserved through the passing down of religious material by word of mouth, often called oral tradition, However, the definition has implication and the limits its practicability. Defining religion is by a fact problematic, with this definitions having implication of threatening to drive theories and predetermine conclusions. Through critical analysis, one may not know if certain conduct is religious unless he or she begins with a clear understanding of concept of religion and its roots, and one cannot easily conceptualize it unless one already familiar with various case scenarios.

Work citedChidester, David. Authentic Fakes: Religion and American Popular Culture. Berkeley, Calif.: U of California, 2005. Print.Bottom of Form