Defining Religion Essay
Grading Protocol
last updated: 06 September 2007
  1. How would you define religion? What facets does a "religion" have that no other human reality has? Be as clear and complete as possible. Also, double-check that your definition does not apply to things that you think are not a religion.
Definition
 1 2 3 4 5  
Clarity (Includes all the necessary features of the category and only these)          
Inclusivity (Includes all phenomena usually classified as a ̉religionÓ)          
Specificity (Excludes phenomena usually not classified as a“religion”)          
Utility (Avoids vagueness, narrowness, compartmentalization, and prejudice)          
Subtotal
  
  1. What is one experience you have had that you would call "religious?" (Keep in mind that this need not have had anything to do with a particular, recognized religious group or ceremony.) Recount the experience as completely as you can, so someone who was not there can have a sense of what your experience was like.
Experience
 1 2 3 4 5  
Clear & coherent description          
Interesting details          
Vivid language, conveying immediacy of the event          
Subtotal
  
  1. Regarding the "religious experience" you just related, why would you categorize it this way? What are your CRITERIA for classifying something as a "religious experience"?
  2. In what ways does the experience you presented in Q2 illustrate your definition of religion? How does it fit each of the components of your definition?
Criteria & Evaluation
 2 4 6 8 10  
Explicit criteria presented          
Compelling defense of those criteria v. others possible          
Logical exposition, following coherent sequence          
Point-by-point evaluation of how criteria fit experience          
Point-by-point evaluation of how experience fits defiinition            
Subtotal
  
Formal Characteristics 1 2 3 4 5  
Clear and succinct writing          
Appropriate grammar, syntax, etc.          
Proper spelling, paragraphing, citatations (if any), etc.          
Subtotal