Religious Knowledge - Concept, characteristics and examples

We explain that it is religious knowledge, its function, characteristics and examples.In addition, its relationship with other types of knowledge.

Religious knowledge arises in response to questions about the meaning of life.

What is religious knowledge?

It is understood by religious knowledge or religious knowledge which is based on an unprovable belief system. It serves as moral, ethical or emotional support for human behavior , proposing its link with the sacred: God, divinity, the spirit, etc.

Generally this type of knowledge is organized around a specific creed , collected in one or more mystical or sacred texts They are guarded, taught and interpreted by religious institutions, such as the different churches and priesthoods that exist.

In general, this type of knowledge is inherited over several generations .Therefore, it has an important cultural value and has served different times of humanity to organize the community morally, socially and even politically.

Moreover, religious knowledge responds in its own way to a set of existential questions and questions that humanity has had since its earliest times.By doing so, it can provide contentment, tranquility and meaning to an existence that, for many, can be empty or distressing, lacking a final meaning.

In fact, much of the artistic and philosophical production of the world has been influenced, motivated by religious knowledge.However, in many other cases, that kind of knowledge can go into contradiction and even competition with rational knowledge.

See also: Religion

Characteristics of religious knowledge

Religious knowledge, first and foremost, is dogmatic: it is accepted or not, but lacks demonstrable logical arguments , but is based on faith.Propose, in different ways, that human beings are the fruit of divine creation and that therefore we must worship the creator.

Consequently, imposes certain moral and ethical precepts, expressed as a doctrine .This may or may not be guarded and imparted by a church: a social organization that aims to perpetuate a specific faith.

On the other hand, religious knowledge is put into practice through rituals and prayers, usually based on repetition and forging community ties between believers, so that also serves as a social meeting point and the constitution of an organized “we”.In fact, many wars were fought in ancient times for imposing one faith on another.

Religious knowledge, then, is unquestionable and is governed by its own logic, which generally distinguishes between good and evil , or between just and sinful, depending on the values ​​that are express behind each religion.For example, Christianity is a doctrine of guilt, while the religion of ancient Greece was based on honor and balance.

Finally, religious knowledge is usually collected in sacred books , which can be one or different volumes, and that usually mix the story with the ordinances, with the prayers and with the historical account-The Bible, the Coran or the Talmud are examples of this.

Examples of religious knowledge

Samsara's wheel reflects a cyclic conception of existence.

Any religious practice is a good example of knowledge of this kind.For us the best known are Catholic Christian traditions , with his saints and the abundant hagiographic literature (on the life of the saints), and with his New Testament.

On the other hand, there are also different Vedic traditions of India and Hinduism , with its wheel of life, its Samsara and its reincarnation circuit.We can also mention African mysticism de la Santeria (Yoruba religion) in the Caribbean.

Relationship with other types of knowledge

In the West, philosophical tradition and religious thought have a common basis .This is because in the In ancient times the distinction between religious thought and scientific or empirical thought did not exist, but they were all the same thing, often called Philosophy.

This tendency was maintained for many centuries. In the European Middle Ages, the Christian faith was imposed on all discourses, even the philosophical one , and prevailed as supreme value.Any question that contradicts the Christian faith He was branded sinful and could find the bonfire with his author.

However, the secularization of society (for example, the rupture between the State and the Church) spawned the possibility that reason would take the place that faith once had.That is, in the Modern Age religious knowledge was displaced by the scientist .

This change marked the end of the Middle Ages and the Old Regime and gave way to a modern world, guided by science and faith in human reason, rather than in divine designs.a secondary, personal, almost intimate place in people's lives.

Other types of knowledge

Other forms of knowledge are as follows:

• Scientific knowledge .It emerges from the application of the scientific method to the different hypotheses that arise from the observation of reality.These hypotheses must be demonstrated through experiments and ultimately aim to discover the laws that govern the universe.


• Empirical knowledge .It can be obtained through direct experience, repetition or participation.It does not require an approximation to the abstract, but arises from things themselves.


• Philosophical knowledge .It comes from human thought, in the abstract, by employing various logical or formal reasoning methods.It does not always follow directly from reality, but from the imaginary representation of the real.


• Intuitive knowledge .It is acquired without formal reasoning, quickly and unconsciously.It is usually the result of inexplicable processes.

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