As Ninian Smart defines religion as “an organism with seven dimensions” in Andrea Diem’s book, When the Scholars Study the Sacred; Diem lists the seven dimensions of religion that characterize the main aspects of all belief systems.With religion being an “organism,” Smart is emphasizing how religion is not static and is actually ever changing, just as all living things are. These seven dimensions can define and allow students to examine the unique differences between each religion, and how each key component comes together to form a certain culture’s faith.The first dimension discusses the notion of myths in each religion. Myths should not be mistaken for entirely false testimonies, for they can hold some level of historical truth. However, the historical truth is most likely combined in with hagiography or embellished accounts and symbolism. On theother hand, another type of myth may however be purely symbolic, meaning that the story is told in highly figurative language that is not able to be tested to prove as factual.
The second dimension covers the act of rituals, which are activities “that connect one with the sense of the sacred.” The third dimension, which directly coincides with the ritual dimension, addresses the experiences someone in a certain religion may go through, such as a “religious experience of the sacred, or feeling of the numinous.” The experience of the sacred may be summoned by the act of rituals, causing a connection with something mystical possibly through an elevated state of consciousness.
The fourth dimension talks about the doctrines, or “philosophy or belief system of the religion.” They are either written down in a sacred text or transmitted through oral tradition.The fifth dimension tells us about the ethics or “moral codes of the group.”This code of morality tells us what is the ethically acceptable behavior of certain groups. The sixth dimension explains how the social aspect is the organizational form of religion. This calls for a sense of social norms and values, along with group bonding.
And lastly, the seventh dimension describes how material forms are used in each religion and can include any materials that “help connect the individual believer to the sacred”. These materials can be, but are not limited to, books,buildings, clothing, and other physical material goods. These material items are elevated to a higher status because of hagiography when they are “viewed as a direct manifestation or embodiment of the sacred.”
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