The Between Mccutcheon, Marx, And Nietzsche s Theories On...

Russell McCutcheon urges terms like â€Å"religion† and â€Å"religious† should not be used by scholars when referring to the study of religion. McCutcheon even suggests these words should be abandoned and removed from our vocabulary all together. He claims studying social sciences like anthropology, sociology, and psychology and using appropriate terminology will lead to a more accurate understanding of why we as humans are religious and how our religion ultimately affects our behaviors. Feuerbach, Marx, and Nietzsche all suspect the study of religion is not about God at all, but rather the people who believe or do not believe in God. In this essay, I will elaborate on the similar yet completely different ideologies of Feuerbach, Marx, and Nietzsche and compare them to the argument made by McCutcheon. In order to comprehend the connection between McCutcheon, Feuerbach, Marx, and Nietzsche’s theories on religion a few terms must be defined. Anthropology is the study of humans. Sociology is the study of social behaviors. Psychology is the study of behavior and the mind. These terms can all be used to explain the reasons behind why people study religion and they also justify the belief that the study of religion is about the people and not God. By studying the behaviors of humans we can psychoanalyze these behaviors and see how they relate back to their religious beliefs. Understanding why people act the way they do in accordance with their beliefs reveals religious traditions which