Rodney Stark And Charles Glock's Six Dimensions Of Religion

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Religion has existed in many forms since the beginning of time, stretching across the globe in every far corner imaginable. Communities and cultures have been brought together with shared beliefs and practices’, reflecting on what is most important about life (Carabajal). Due to the various beliefs systems worldwide, Rodney Stark and Charles Glock created a model that reflects the interlocking aspects of religion known as the six dimensions (Voorst 10). To have a better understanding of a particular religion, that religion must be able to teach to its followers. The cognitive dimension must explain the history of the religion, be able to analyze it, learn from it, and pass it on. An example of the cognitive dimension would be the creation …show more content…
The ethical dimension explains what religion perceives to be wrong in the world. These are the moral expectations. Some of these ethics actually serve as laws in some Muslim countries, Shari’ a for example. Voorst stated when social morality based on religion is constantly practiced; it becomes a way of life. For example: The Ten Commandments (Voorst 11) Many people perform a wide variety of religious rituals. Some practice daily prayer, chanting of scripture, and some may even travel to far places for their beliefs. The ritual dimension stands for the element of attachment to these rituals. For instance, some …show more content…
Aesthetics and emotions are a huge part of religion. The aesthetics or sensory element is what the eyes see, what the nose smells, or what the ears hear. Beauty appeals to human emotions, therefore certain devotional statues or images may be deemed as sensual art, like the Hindu Goddess. Religious buildings and architecture are appealing to look at. Many ritual hand gestures done in yoga, prayer with clasped hands are aesthetic. Religion plays on all of the senses, emotion being the most particular one. The emotional dimension includes extraordinary feelings, concerns for others, brings about a sense of belonging. It also brings out fear, love, hope and how to cope. These emotions through religion helps humans to cope with death, helps them to keep believing in their faith, and how to make it through the day to day trials of life (Voorst

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