Module 1 RELS 373 Notes .docx - RELS 373 Notes Module 1...

RELS 373 Notes
Module 1
January 9, 2017
investigate religion and music, including philosophical (the nature of music), musicological (the
role of music), doxological (music in expression of worship and/or devotion), theological
(creedal expression in lyrics), liturgiological (music in liturgy – to do service to God(s) ), and
phenomenological (music and spiritual experience).
January 11, 2017
What is religion/music?
What is studied about religion/music?
Who studies religion/music?
How is it studied/music?
What is the essence and design of music?
Ethics
Politics
Aesthetics
Logic
Ontology – being, ontos.
Epistemology – what you know, how you know it.
I don’t care who writes the laws, I only care who writes the music (Plato?)
Eternality
 ----------------------------------------------------------- 
-2 -1 0 1 2
 ---- Do Re Me Fa So La Ti Do --- 
Phenomenological
Phenomenon (singular) - Some sort of a happening. Something had occurred
Experience that accompanies this happening
 Consciousness … awareness of ‘self’
 Experience … ascription by ‘self’

What is experience of music?
Explore the role, use, of music as a cultural enterprise
(operates like a historian)
What is the status of music in cross religion?
Cultural music or religious music?
How does music express devotion/love?
How does music describe God?
Does music describe itself as doxology?
 Do we make the music to be better than God?
o Worshiping the music or worshiping God?
o Have we made music our religion?
 How does music express, create, and shape doctrine?
January 16, 2017
Dimensions of Religion
Theorists of Religion
Dimensions of Religion (Ninian Smart) – comparative methodology