Prolegomena to any future religious studies that may appear as Christian religious studies

Abstract

This article discusses the possibility of building confession-oriented religious studies. It employs the material of studies by T. Samarina, particularly her article “Designer Project of Phenomenological Understanding of Religion: F. Max Mueller’s Comparativism”. I put forward a number of critical comments as to the scientifi c methodology of T. Samarina’s article. Particularly, I draw attention to the fact that the substitution of discourses is taking place. T. Samarina desires to present the religious and philosophical mentality of M. Mueller as his science of religion. Besides, the criteria of phenomenology of religion are not necessary nor suffi cient for the defi nition of its specifi city. Finaly, T. Samarina radically rethinks both Russian and foreign tradition of interpretation of phenomenology of religion. This article proposes for consideration the author’s own understanding of the conceptual nature of phenomenology of religion. In the fi rst hand, this science is related to the discussion about the sacred. The uniting of the non-unifyable takes place within its framework, i.e. philisophy, theology, and religious studies, ideal religion, empirical religion and confessional faith. Phenomenology of religion, in all probability, was called to overcome the drawbacks of only philosophical, only theological, or only religious-science study of religion. The result of the genesis of phenomenology of religion was separation from religious studies. I believe that the dissociation of philosophy of religion, including phenomenology of religion, and religious studies is unavoidable.

Keywords

• phenomenology of religion
• religious studies
• M. Mueller
• confession-oriented religious studies
• theology