Dini Araştırmalar (Religious Studies)

Abstract

Ninian Smart has been among the  most important phenomenologists of religion/researchers especially in the late period of twenty century.  Smart offers to analize and identify of religion as multidimensional, dynamic and dialectical, by pointing to the one-sidedness of the methods used to  analysis religion and present the definitions of religion. In this regard, he argues that religion must be examinated and analized in the context of seven-dimensional model of religion, defining it as a seven-dimensional organisms. Seven-dimensional model of religion that he named the dual mode consists of dimensions practice-ritual, experience-emotional, narrative-mythic, doctrinal-philosophical, ethical-legal, social-institutional and material-artistic. Smart who thinks that these dimensions are more or less all religions, points that dimensions, each religion gives more or less importance by itself, are available and may be available. He aims to provide a picture of the general characteristics of religion and religions through this model. Smart who adopts phenomenological approach and tries to practice the principle of value-freedom in religious studies, recognizing Islam among the major world religions, expresses that the religion can be examined in the context of seven-dimensional model. In this regard, he propounds important analyzes and opinions about Islam in his various works. In this article, it has been discussed ideas of Ninian Smart about Islam in the context of seven-dimensional model.