THE SAME YET DIFFERENT: AN EXAMPLE OF COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE OF THE RESULTS OF THE RESEARCH OF RELIGIOSITY IN ANTHROPOLOGY
Keywords:
religious experience, religiosity, qualitative researches, quantitative researches, field researchesAbstract
Comparative advantage of anthropological studies of religiosity can be seen in the qualitative research. This paper was conceived as a researcher’s reflection on the field research of religious experience, as an example of dealing with theoretical and methodological problems in the process of research. Without going into details about the deficiencies of quantitative research we will present some of the results of the studies of religiosity done within the EVS and the empirical researches of religiosity of the Serbian population in 2010. Pointing out the advantages of the qualitative over quantitative surveys is not a novelty. However, in this paper, comparative advantage of qualitative studies is presented with specific examples of field research of religious experience as the most significant segment of the religious life of the believers. It appears that the religious experience is not only the most important thing in the religious life of believers but it has also shown to be a determining factor in returning to religion. Most often it has to do with powerful experiences of visions, dreams, regaining good health during or after a direct communication with God or saints. Given the fact that there are different types of religious experiences, this paper mostly deals with the aforementioned type of the active experience of the believers.
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