--- title: Introduction to Religious Studies description: Introduction to Religious Studies provides an academic framework for analyzing religion as a global human phenomenon. Learners will understand the major methodologies used to study sacred texts, rituals, and beliefs objectively, without endorsing or refuting specific faith traditions. category: humanities subcategory: religious-studies difficulty: beginner, intermediate, advanced url: /subject/introduction-to-religious-studies --- # Introduction to Religious Studies Introduction to Religious Studies provides an academic framework for analyzing religion as a global human phenomenon. Learners will understand the major methodologies used to study sacred texts, rituals, and beliefs objectively, without endorsing or refuting specific faith traditions. ## Available Resources 3 Books • 5 Websites ## Websites ### 1. BBC Religions Archived BBC reference covering twenty traditions - including Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Judaism, Shinto, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Rastafari, and atheism - with sections on beliefs, history, practices, ethics, and holy days for each, written for newcomers comparing faiths. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/ **Tags:** world-religions, comparative-religion, religious-studies, reference ### 2. iep.utm.edu/religion The Religion page on the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy provides a concise, peer‑reviewed overview of religion from a philosophical standpoint, covering definitions, the nature and variety of religion, major debates, and key concepts and figures in philosophy of religion. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://iep.utm.edu/religion **Tags:** websites, humanities-social-sciences, religious-studies ### 3. aarweb.org American Academy of Religion (AAR) is the professional association for religious studies scholars; the site offers information on membership, conferences, and scholarly publications, plus teaching resources and other member services for researchers and educators. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://aarweb.org **Tags:** websites, humanities-social-sciences, religious-studies ### 4. religionnews.com Religion News Service is a journalism site that covers religion and public life, reporting on faith communities, religious liberty, ethics, and how religion intersects with politics and culture. It provides up-to-date news articles, features, and analysis, plus commentary on religious topics from around the world. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://religionnews.com **Tags:** websites, humanities-social-sciences, religious-studies ### 5. jstor.org/subject/religion JSTOR is a digital library of scholarly journals, books, and primary sources. The Religion subject page curates religion-related articles, journals, and book chapters for religious studies researchers. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://jstor.org/subject/religion **Tags:** websites, humanities-social-sciences, religious-studies ## Podcasts ### 1. The Religious Studies Project **Author:** The Religious Studies Project Weekly interview podcast in which scholars of religion discuss theory, method, and specific traditions. Listening gives you a working map of the field's debates and the researchers currently shaping how religion is studied academically. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** en-US | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/ **Tags:** religious-studies, theory-and-method, scholarly-interviews, sociology-of-religion, comparative-religion ## Books ### 1. Studying Religion: An Introduction **Author:** Russell T. McCutcheon McCutcheon introduces the academic study of religion as a scholarly construction rather than a self-evident thing, working through key terms like myth, ritual, and belief. Readers finish able to question how the category religion is defined. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/1845530128?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** books, humanities-social-sciences, religious-studies ### 2. A History of God **Author:** Karen Armstrong Karen Armstrong traces how Jews, Christians and Muslims have imagined God over four thousand years, from Abraham through philosophy, mysticism, the Reformation and modern atheism. Readers see how conceptions of the divine shifted with historical and cultural circumstances across the three monotheisms. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0434024562?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** monotheism, judaism, christianity, islam, history-of-religion ### 3. Religion: The Basics **Author:** Malory Nye A short undergraduate primer that treats religion as cultural practice, covering power, gender, ritual, belief, and globalization with examples from several traditions. After reading it, a student can apply basic analytical categories to unfamiliar religious material. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0415449480?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** books, humanities-social-sciences, religious-studies --- *This content is part of Dantes.io - Your Treasure Map to Knowledge* *Curated by humans at Dantes.io. Personal study use welcome; republishing this curation requires permission (team@dantes.io).* View this page online: https://dantes.io/subject/introduction-to-religious-studies