Study of Religion
Smart’s 7 Dimensions
A framework to assist
understanding

Mythological = Story
Stories are fundamental to every day life
Stories are fundamental to religion
‘Myth’= a story which interprets reality in a
chosen way
To the people who hold them - myths are
always true
Shared stories are what hold people
together
The key to identity of a religion lies in
stories the group holds in common
A ritual only makes sense to those who
know the story behind it

Ritual = Symbolic Action
A ritual only makes sense to those
who know the story behind it
The myth – ritual dynamic is crucial to
understanding and assessing the
identity of a religion

Doctrinal = teachings/beliefs
Beliefs come after and out of stories
and rituals
Doctrines (or formal beliefs) of any
group are those which must be
believed in order to belong
Beliefs concern God/s, spirit forces,
nature of the world, meaning and
purpose of life, how we should live

Ethical = personal behaviour
Practical ethics and day to day moral
decision making are tied to what is
believed through mythology and
taught through doctrine

Social = community organisation
A religion’s claims about the nature of the
invisible world and how one’s life aught to
be lived leads to Social organisation and
structure
Community customs and institutions reflect
understandings and beliefs of the religion.
They may include:
Places of worship
Special people who conduct ceremonies
Times when the whole community celebrate
together

Material = concrete objects and
symbols
Most religious groups reflect their
beliefs through the material
dimension of buildings, art works,
icons, music, sacred places, artifacts

Experiential = experience of the
invisible world
The experiential dimension is
concerned with ways individuals seek
a personal experience of God or to
experience the peace and insight of
higher levels of consciousness

In summary
MYTH = STORY
RITUAL = SYMBOLIC ACTION
DOCTRINE = TEACHING / BELIEF
ETHICS = PERSONAL BEHAVIOUR
SOCIAL = COMMUNITY
CUSTOMS/INSTITUTIONS
MATERIAL = CONCRETE
WORKS/OBJECTS
EXPERIENTIAL = INNER EXPERIENCE
OF GOD

A definition?
The human response to whatever the
mystery of life is for a particular
person or group