The End.

When I decided to take Philosophy as my segment 3 cluster, I had hoped to find some kind of peace in my professed agnosticism. I found that my first class, the Philosophy of Religion, was extremely important in my understanding the various world religions. After its completion, I had groundwork to use to find my own place in the realm of spirituality. My second class, Native American Religions, focused on a specific stream of religious thought that I felt I had not found in the previous class. When I signed up for Phil 525, I went into it hoping that it would tie up some loose ends and leave me with a neat little package that I could call my own personal religious view. Not so!
If anything, the Varieties of Religious Experience has left me with more questions than ever and put me in a constant mode of questioning everything about my previously held beliefs. I must thank Professor Hood for prodding me into this state as I now see that my quest for religious and spiritual enlightenment will continue to be an ongoing process. Thanks also for introducing me to some incredible books and especially to the concept of the hermeneutics of contemplation. It has given me a place to dwell in my skepticism about both religious and atheistic dogmas.

To review:

Tylor and Frazer got me very excited about the prospect of explaining religion as an evolution of beliefs. Though their methods were flawed, they did uncover shreds of truth and gave subsequent thinkers a place to start in there own investigation.
Freud, for all his self glorifications, caused me to see religion as something that comes from within (which was later reinforced by Hume’s writings). Though I disagree that religion is ALL bad, it does play a role in much of the human suffering that we see today. I also find truth in his idea that we are set up to be religious believers based on our early experiences with our own parents. Thanks Freud!
James gave me a sense of peace in that he points out that religion serves a definite purpose in the lives of many. He also reinforced my thought that the logic of religions may be flawed, but it is invaluable to the mental health and spiritual well being of those who subscribe to it.
Durkheim is my man in the agnostic department. His support of the idea that religion is a social phenomenon opened my eyes to the function that it plays in the progression of civilizations though the ages. Religion=Society takes a leap in my awakening that the concept of god may stem from our earthly human interactions.
Marx was the one thinker whose ideas I had been familiar with prior to taking this class. Religion IS the opium of the masses! But this is not all there is to it in my opinion. I find his belief that religion grew out of economic need a little hard to follow, but indeed it plays a huge role in the suppression and exploitation of the underprivileged today.
Evans-Pritchard was extremely well thought and I admire his hands on approach to looking at various religious phenomenons. He was also the most disheartening in that he points out, accurately I think, that there may never be a satisfying explanation to how and why religion has become the driving social force that it is. I too wish that he had taken that final step at the end of his research in offering some kind of theory to bind the weight of his work.
I have just written on the specifics of Phillips and his interlocutors, but in summary I feel that Phillips goes too far in his criticism of his predecessors. As I read each of the chapters in his book, I kept finding myself lost in the forest for all the trees. I understand that we must be critical in our readings of great thinkers, but at some point I feel we must appreciate the accomplishments for what they are and not digress into heady departures from the subject at hand. Phillips might try using contemplation in his readings of other philosophers in the way that he does the readings of religious documents.
To conclude, I come away from the “Nature of Religious Experience” a better rounded thinker and with a base on which to ponder my existence more thoughtfully. I have also gained a great appreciation for the work of the great thinkers that we have examined, and I will continue to pursue my readings in philosophy after my Gator days come to an end.