Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/77398

JaLCDOI : 10.14943/jgsl.15.1

Heile's "prayer" is a classical research example of phenomenological and systematic studies of prayer; however, its tendency toward a Christian- and Western-centric viewpoint has been criticized. More objective and scientific research methods are required for comparative study of prayers including those found in East Asian religions. In this paper, I would like to consider new possibilities and limits that could be generated by combining statistical research methods and conventional phenomenological research. By utilizing a statistical approach, especially with international comparative researches, the possibility of studying prayer acts, not as acts bound by specific religious traditions, will be made possible. However, problems such as what kind of questions should be set remain. It is difficult to generalize and universalize the language used by various religions. There is an essential problem concerning translation of religious languages in religious studies. One of the tasks religious phenomenology has been to work on the problem of this translation. However, there was a problem in considering the concept presented there, not as an academic analytic concept but as an essential element of religious phenomena. Therefore, keeping in mind that the results of international comparative research are not indicative of some entity, but rather represent the analysis of results of a specific situation, it is necessary for us to situate the results in an individual and concrete situation and rethink them in those contexts. By doing so, we are able to obtain more meaningful results.