How and why is religion an important aspect of culture to study?
Religion is an integral part of culture. It is like a mirror. If your religion is in tune and responsive to the norms, values, and traditions of your culture, you will look into the mirror of religion, and see all of the things that your culture has enculturated you to believe, that is, it reinforces and reifies what you believe, think, etc. Religion should be fluid and change along with the culture. Religion is, as Emile Durkheim said, separates the “sacred and the profane”. Even when religion becomes codified, written down, and concretized, it’s impact on culture is pervasive and dominant. As an anthropologist, the study of comparative religions is extremely fascinating. Joseph Campbell noticed that in the stories of religion, folklore and mythology, there is a commonality that brings all cultures together. Our stories and religions and language are different, yet we share universal motifs in common. To study religion is to find out more about what makes us human, and you don’t have
