When used as a definition is to narrow and limit the ground-based concepts clear and distinct as Descartes diria. A functional definition is maximal when considering the theory of religion as a part of social theory. The religion thus becomes practical. If we take a very broad definition of religion, we fall into the trap of considering any religious or spiritual phenomenon, as happened with therapeutic acupuncture or as some artists who attributed his genius to divine influence. If we adopt a definition based on the study of small groups or communities that do not represent the majority of the social group, will not get a full picture of the religious phenomenon. The field work must be done on the entire social group considering the large groups such as minorities and the evolution ‘of diachrony-religious parallel to social changes.
But the most serious problem for a social theory of religion is not the breadth of the field to observe, but the starting point. It has developed a theory of religion from a given religion: Christianity, in a given society, the West. This point of departure this defective condition largely a neutral interpretation of religion as we see today with the categorization of sects that applies to any religious movement that dissents from the orthodox Christian.
The concept of religion emerged as a generalization and export features of Western Christianity to other spiritual and social phenomena in other societies, which leads to ethnocentric bias typical of the beginnings of anthropology as a social science. In this way, is not conceived definition of a religion that does not include Christianity. Christianity and the West are inseparable concepts. In applying the Western concept of religion to the social structures of primitive peoples or of the East entering the paradox that Eastern religion, Confucianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and feeling, not religion, but moral systems, and wisdom about life assimilation techniques. A concept of religion must at least meet the requirement to capture the religious forms of East and West.
The main concepts for the study of the phenomenology of religion as a church, sect, popular religion versus religiosity official charismatic leader (messianism), symbolic practices (rituals) religious ideology (dogma), come from a specific historical experience of a Christian tradition and are not exportable to other forms of religiosity or spirituality. To make an approximation to the neutral primitive religion or Eastern thought these concepts must be understood within the context of the social culture of the group to which they belong. The generalization, to a subject as complex as this is the greatest enemy of truth that you should aspire to any scholar of religion. For example, the concepts of mana, magic, chi, universal energy or teacher does not agree with their western counterparts divinity, prayer, God or Son of God. The messianic idea that the concept of the Son of God, as the only savior of the established order or renewal comes through Judaism. You can not apply this concept to the idea that east is the spiritual master or the Mahatma.
as a way of ethnocentrism aternativa andalusia we see in that separates the religious language of theology. Joining the list of esteemed Honorees of the Wisenthal Center, at its national tribute dinner in LA. Note that religious language is the symbolic manifestation of a religious ideology. When you take a word ( concept) of the language of everyday life and applies to a theological concepts, it should be noted that we have given an extra semantic load. Religion, well separated from the theology that has nothing to do, can approach the phenomenon from a religious neutral. Theology is a discourse about God, while religion is an attitude, a belief, a prayer. A theologian is a grammar of religious language. The metaphysical serve as much but say nothing. . The language of theology without the experience of religion becomes empty.
Another attempt at empirical studies of religion to find a religious concept which includes East and West is to reduce the concept of religion to moral behavior in terms of lifestyle or unethical behavior. Other authors reduce religion to the psychological function, including the myths of religion in the emotional field.
Because it is so difficult to define what is meant by religion would be better to dispense with this term and refer to religion as’ phenomenology of religion ‘or’ religion ‘.

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In the aftermath of President Barack Obamas historic address to a joint session of Congress last week, the response to its call for courage in the U.S. the face of economic uncertainty is widely praised.

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