Smart Dimensions of Religion

Summary

The lecture introduces Indian Smart's theory of religious organization, known as the 'Six Dimensions of Religion,' later expanded to seven, highlighting the sacredness of the number seven. It explores dimensions such as ritual, mythological, doctrinal, ethical, social, and experiential, emphasizing their roles in religious development and practice. The lecture challenges students to consider the criticality and sequence of these dimensions in the emergence and cohesion of religious systems, encouraging them to visualize how these dimensions interact.

Takeaways

• 📚 The lecture introduces a theory of religious organization called the 'Dimensions of Religion' or 'Six Dimensions of Religion', later expanded to seven by Ninian Smart.
• 🔢 The number seven is considered sacred in various contexts, including as the number of days in creation and a prime number symbolizing unity.
• 🤔 Two key questions for consideration are identifying the most critical dimension in the emergence of religion and which dimension is most crucial in pulling all aspects together.
• 📖 The 'Ritual Dimension' involves reenacting myths and expressing beliefs through actions, such as the Christian ritual of communion.
• 📖 The 'Mythological Dimension' encompasses sacred stories passed down through generations, providing coherence to the belief system.
• 📖 The 'Doctrinal Dimension' refers to the written sets of beliefs defining the nature of the divine and human-divine relationships.
• 📖 The 'Ethical Dimension' includes the moral or legal codes that guide behavior, such as the Ten Commandments.
• 📖 The 'Social Dimension' describes the organization of the religious community, including hierarchical structures like those in the Catholic Church.
• 📖 The 'Experiential Dimension' is about the feelings evoked by prayer, ritual, and worship, connecting individuals to the divine.
• 🏛 The 'Material Dimension' (seventh dimension) represents the physical expressions of religion, such as buildings, sculptures, and religious artifacts.
• 🔄 The lecture encourages students to consider the historical development and dynamic interplay of these dimensions in religious practice.

Q & A

What is the 'Dimensions of Religion' theory?

The 'Dimensions of Religion' theory, originally proposed by Ninian Smart, categorizes religious practices into six or seven dimensions, which help to analyze and understand the structure and organization of religious beliefs and practices.

Why did Ninian Smart add a seventh dimension to his theory?

Ninian Smart added a seventh dimension to his theory because the number seven is considered sacred in various religious traditions, including as the number of days in creation according to the Old Testament, and it is also a prime number symbolizing unity.

What are the two key questions posed by the speaker regarding the dimensions of religion?

The two key questions are: 1) Which dimension is most critical in the development of religion as it begins to emerge? 2) Which dimension is most critical in the formation of the religion, in other words, which one comes first and which one is key to pulling it all together?

What is the Ritual Dimension and why is it important?

The Ritual Dimension refers to the actions through which a community of believers reenacts its myths and stories and expresses its beliefs. It is important because rituals are repeated, sacred, and help to create social cohesion and a direct connection to the source of worship.

Can you explain the Mythological Dimension in the context of religion?

The Mythological Dimension consists of sacred stories passed down from generation to generation, usually beginning in oral tradition. These stories are sacred because they reveal and explain the beliefs and practices of the religious tradition, providing coherence to the belief system.

What constitutes the Doctrinal Dimension of religion?

The Doctrinal Dimension includes the written sets of beliefs that define the nature of the divine or ultimate reality and the relationships of humans to that reality. It is often the foundation for how one should practice their religion.

What is the Ethical Dimension and how does it relate to religious laws?

The Ethical Dimension represents the moral or legal code within a religion, such as the Ten Commandments in Christianity. It guides the behavior and actions of adherents according to the teachings of the religion.

How is the Social Dimension of religion defined?

The Social Dimension refers to the social organization of a religious community, including its structure and hierarchy. It involves how the community organizes itself, from the local level to the broader religious institutions.

What does the Experiential Dimension involve in religious practices?

The Experiential Dimension is about the feelings evoked through prayer, ritual, and worship. It is the personal and direct feeling of connection to the divine or ultimate reality, which can vary from person to person.

What is the seventh dimension added by Ninian Smart, and how does it relate to the physical expression of religion?

The seventh dimension, known as the Material Dimension, involves the physical artifacts and structures associated with religious practice, such as churches, mosques, sculptures, crosses, and other religious artwork. It represents how religion expresses itself in a tangible form.

How can one visualize the relationship between the different dimensions of religion?

One can visualize the relationship between the dimensions by creating a schematic or drawing that illustrates how each dimension interacts and contributes to the overall structure and practice of a religion, showing how they work in concert.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to the Dimensions of Religion

The video script begins by revisiting aspects of religious practice and introduces a theoretical framework known as the 'Dimensions of Religion' or 'Six Dimensions of Religion,' developed by Ninian Smart. Smart is highlighted as a significant figure in the study of religion, who expanded his original six dimensions to seven, possibly due to the sacred and symbolic significance of the number seven in various contexts. The script poses two reflective questions for the audience: identifying the most critical dimension in the emergence of a fully-formed religion and determining which dimension is fundamental to the religion's formation. The speaker also humorously notes Smart's high forehead as a sign of his intelligence and discusses the 'ritual dimension' of religion, explaining its importance in reenacting myths and expressing beliefs through action.

05:01

🌐 Exploration of Specific Religious Dimensions

This paragraph delves deeper into the various dimensions of religion, starting with the 'ritual dimension,' exemplified by Christian communion and its symbolic reenactment of the Last Supper. The 'mythological dimension' is described as sacred stories passed down through generations, providing coherence to the belief system. The 'doctrinal dimension' involves written sets of beliefs defining the nature of the divine and humanity's relationship to it. The 'ethical dimension' encompasses moral and legal codes, such as the Ten Commandments. The 'social dimension' refers to the organizational structure of religious communities, including hierarchical roles within institutions. Lastly, the 'experiential dimension' concerns the feelings evoked by prayer, ritual, and worship, highlighting personal connections to the divine. The paragraph also introduces the 'material dimension' as the seventh aspect, focusing on physical expressions of religion, such as buildings and religious artifacts. The speaker concludes by encouraging the audience to consider the historical development and dynamic interplay of these dimensions, suggesting a schematic representation to illustrate their interrelationship.

Keywords

💡Religious Practice

Religious practice refers to the rituals, customs, and observances that an individual or community performs as part of their faith. In the video, it is the foundation upon which the Dimensions of Religion theory is built, highlighting the various ways in which religious beliefs are expressed and maintained through actions.

💡Dimensions of Religion

The Dimensions of Religion is a theoretical framework proposed by Ninian Smart, which categorizes religious phenomena into six (later seven) dimensions. It is central to the video's theme as it provides a structured way to understand and analyze the components of religious life.

💡Ninian Smart

Ninian Smart is a significant figure in the study of religion, known for developing the Dimensions of Religion theory. His work is the focus of the video, which explores his classification system to dissect the elements of religious experience.

💡Ritual Dimension

The ritual dimension encompasses the practices and actions through which a community of believers expresses and confirms their faith. In the script, examples such as the Christian ritual of communion are given to illustrate how rituals reenact sacred stories and bring believers closer to their faith.

💡Mythology

In the context of the video, mythology refers to sacred stories that are central to a religion's belief system. These narratives, such as the story of the Buddha's enlightenment, provide a coherent narrative that explains the religion's origins and teachings.

💡Doctrinal Dimension

The doctrinal dimension involves the written beliefs and teachings that define a religion's understanding of the divine and the relationship between humans and the ultimate reality. It is exemplified in the script by texts like the Bible, Quran, and Torah, which outline moral codes and rituals.

💡Ethical Dimension

The ethical dimension pertains to the moral or legal code within a religion, guiding the behavior and conduct of its followers. The Ten Commandments in Christianity serve as an example from the script, illustrating the ethical principles that govern religious life.

💡Social Dimension

The social dimension refers to the organizational structure and community aspects of a religion. It includes the hierarchical organization of religious institutions, such as the roles of bishops and cardinals in the Catholic Church, as mentioned in the video.

💡Experiential Dimension

The experiential dimension is about the personal and emotional experiences of individuals as they engage in prayer, worship, and rituals. It is the dimension that captures the feelings of connection to the divine, as exemplified by the personal faith experiences described in the script.

💡Material Dimension

The material dimension represents the physical expressions of religion, such as buildings, sculptures, and religious artifacts. It is the tangible aspect of religion that provides a space for worship and community, with examples in the script including churches and mosques.

💡Schematic Relationship

The term 'schematic relationship' is used in the video to encourage viewers to visualize and understand how the different dimensions of religion interrelate and contribute to the overall religious experience. It invites an analysis of the dynamics between the dimensions and their developmental order.

Highlights

Introduction to the theory of religious organization called the dimensions of religion or the six dimensions of religion.

Ninian Smart, the originator of the theory, is highlighted as an important figure in the study of religion.

The significance of the number seven in religious and mathematical contexts is discussed.

Two key questions are posed regarding the critical dimensions in the development and formation of religion.

The ritual dimension is explained as the reenactment of myths and stories through community actions.

Mythology is defined as sacred stories passed down, differentiating from non-true stories.

The doctrinal dimension involves sets of beliefs and definitions of divine or ultimate reality.

The ethical dimension is described as the moral or legal code within a religion.

The social dimension refers to the organization and structure of a religious community.

The experiential dimension is the emotional aspect evoked by prayer, ritual, and worship.

Examples of rituals from various religions are given, including Christian communion and Jewish circumcision.

Culturally specific rituals are described, such as the bullet ant gloves and the Fulani whip match.

The material dimension, the seventh dimension, is introduced as the physical expression of religion.

A call to action for students to consider the order of development and dynamic relationship of the dimensions.

The task of creating a schematic to illustrate how the seven dimensions work together is assigned.

The importance of rituals in transforming the ordinary into the sacred and creating social cohesion is emphasized.

Mythologies are highlighted as central to the understanding of religious doctrines and practices.

Doctrines are presented as written guidelines for behavior and religious practice.

Transcripts

so we've already looked at a number of

aspects of religious practice and some

of the things we're going to be looking

at today will

build on the aspects of religion that we

saw

in basic religion so we're going to be

looking at a theor

a theory of religious organization uh

called the dimensions of religion or the

six dimensions of religion

an indian smart who was the person who

came up with this

uh theory was a very important person

in the study of religion and he

originally had six dimensions he added

one perhaps because seven

is a sacred number as you know it's the

number of days in creation

if you're looking at the uh old

testament

it also is a prime number which is

obviously only

divisible by one which is a symbol of

unity and

this is a reason why seven has

a sacredness to both mathematicians and

to

religious people so the two questions i

want you to think about as we go through

this

is which of these dimensions is most

critical in the development of religion

as it begins to emerge into a a

more fully iterated

product iterate basically means fully

formed

um and which of the dimensions is most

critical in the formation of the

religion in other words which one comes

first so which one comes first and then

the second question is which one

is the kind of the key to kind of

pulling it all together those are the

questions i want you to think about as

we go through this

so minion smart as you see over on the

right has a high forehead

beautiful high for it i have to say

clearly a sign of his

great looks and uh incredible

intelligence

um and uh again he was a

scottish uh professor and

a guy who became famous because of this

theory so

it must have some some power to it

so the ritual dimension we'll start with

the ritual dimension we've already

talked about the ritual dimension a

little bit

and the ritual dimension is the way in

which a community of believers reenacts

its myths and stories and confirms and

expresses its belief through

action and if you think about one

example for example christians

routinely go through the ritual of

communion and communion is re-enacting

the story

of the last supper and so as you are

taking the blood and body of christ

into your own body you are re-enacting

the story of the disciples

in their direct connection to jesus so

it is getting you closer

both literally and symbolically

to the source of your uh

worship so rituals are very important

they are

they are repeated and they are sacred

now when we talk about mythology we're

not talking about mythology in terms of

stories that

aren't true we're talking about myths in

terms of sacred stories that are passed

down from generation to generation

usually begin in the oral tradition and

they're sacred because of what they

reveal and explain about the tradition

so again we understand things through

stories and so this mythological

dimension is sort of the story dimension

uh the thing that gives the the the

entire

uh belief system

it's coherence in in a more accessible

way

then we get to the doctrinal dimension

the doctrinal dimension

uh is the basically the sets of beliefs

and

the the way that the nature of the

divine or ultimate reality

uh the relationships of humans to that

ultimate real divinity is defined so the

doctrine

is almost always written and it comes

through

that way so we'll go through some

religious examples a little later

the ethical dimension is basically the

legal code or the moral code

so when you think about things like the

ten commandments

uh those are that's part of the ethical

dimension

the social dimension is effectively

the social organization the way in which

the community organizes itself

it could be the church it could be the

structure of the church or the mosque

the way the mosques are organized if you

look at the catholic church

the social dimension would include a

kind of organizational aspect too so

the bishops the cardinals the parish

priests so forth

um finally the experiential dimension is

probably the easiest one to think about

because it's just

the way in which uh prayer and ritual

and worship

evoke feelings and so it's either the

direct feeling of connection to god

through faith

or some sort of personal connection so

examples of this starting with ritual we

mentioned

uh communion before forms of repeated

prayers ritual

uh circumcision for for jewish boys is a

ritual

which connects you back to abraham and

the faith that he showed in god

um the reenactment of the crucifixion

in the philippines they do this every

good friday they actually literally

crucify somebody for five minutes

i believe the same man has been

crucified over 30 times in the

philippines i don't think that's

uh you know it's a pretty

uh intense form of ritual the hajj is

also a ritual

ritual which also involves performative

action

which again these are these are things

that you have to do rituals involve

doing things uh other examples of

culturally specific rituals many of them

involve rites of passage so if you look

at the bullet ant gloves this is a

pretty intense

ritual where you have to put your hands

into gloves with singing ants

the fulani whip match again another

example of

having to endure pain throwing babies

off of

temples in india as forms of trust to

the community so it's it's engaging in

these

ritual acts of sacrifice so

you think about elements rituals they

are sacramental they transform the

ordinary into the sacred

they involve performance they involve

repetition and they create social

cohesion

mythologies as we said sacred story so

the story of the angel gabriel coming to

mary to announce

the uh arrival of of jesus

uh the immaculate conception mary

conceives without

relations with her husband so it's it's

a

direct conception by god central to the

mythology of

of christianity uh in judaism you have

the central story of the

exodus of the jews from egypt into

israel which is the story of their

liberation and also their formation as

an independent nation and people

and ultimately religion you have the

story of the buddha's enlightenment the

story of the buddha's life which is the

core

mythology uh as well

you'll notice that in that case it's

also connected to doctrine because

the way that he lives his life comes to

the way he comes to his truths which is

the doctrine of buddhism

in hinduism arjuna and krishna in the

bhagavad-gita

is the story of how vishnu in the form

of krishna

who you can see on the right reveals

himself

to arjuna and it's about how we can

understand

the way to get to god doctrines

are as i said before written things that

get to

uh either how you should behave or how

you should practice your religion so

the holy bible is an example the quran

is one the upanishads and the torah

these all include the moral codes and

rituals as well

in them so they're sort of the things

that pull it all together

in written form the material dimension

the last dimension which is the seventh

dimension

uh is basically the

things that you find the where the

religion actually is or

how it expresses itself so the church is

an example of material dimension

or a mosque would be the buildings the

sculptures

the crosses crucifixes artwork

anything involving architecture or uh

the actual pieces of the religion

in in physical form so

i want you to go back to the original

questions that i asked you which are

here

what's the most critical uh in the

development of the religion and what's

the most critical in the formation of

the

of the religion and then the last thing

i want you to do which is

connected to these two things is i want

you to put them

into relationship with one another so i

want you to think about

historically the order in which they

developed or dynamically

how they work in relationship to one

another so whichever one is clearer to

you whichever

way you think about it so i want you to

put it in kind of a schematic

a picture or a drawing which explains

how all of these seven dimensions work

in concert

so good luck with that and we will

follow this up in class