|
|
|
|
Religion, Politics and Mobilisation: A Theoretical Perspective with a Special Note on “The Indian Khilafat Movement”
By M. Lutfullah Karaman
Abstract
There are ‘problems of defining religion’. However, since religion possesses great functional value and, as a dimension of human life, is believed to have been present since time immemorial, one must at least be able to bring out its distinctive traits. The following characteristics, accordingly, are identified by various students of religion, “in no particular order of priority” (Alatas 1977: 215-16):
“(a) belief in a supernatural being (or beings) together with a corresponding invisible order opposed to the natural one; (b) belief that man is destined to establish a personal relationship with that being (or beings); (c) certain rites and beliefs supposed to be sanctioned or commanded by supernatural reality..; (d) division of life into the sacred and the profane accompanied by various resultant activities..; (e) belief that the supernatural communicates its will and conjunctions through human messengers..; (f) the attempt to order life.. in harmony with what is believed to be the truth according to the supernatural designs; (g) belief that the revealed truth supersedes other types resulting from human efforts, so far as the most transcendental problems of thought are concerned; (h) the practice of bringing those who believe into the fold of a...
Full Text (PDF, 20 pages, 247.0 KB)