Comparison Of Religion By Schleiermacher And Rudolph Otto

Friedrich Schleiermacher and Rudolph Otto share one major similarity on their beliefs of describing religion. This parallel is the fact that both men believe religion is a feeling. How they describe the feeling differs drastically. Friedrich Schleiermacher defines religion as being a feeling of dependence. He believes it is an actual emotion rather than a set of ideas or actions. This contrast defining religion as being an act of rituals. Friedrich Schleiermacher describes the feeling as having something greater than anything on earth that creates us to have a need to depend on. It is greater than any of us, thus why we feel the need to depend on it’s presence. The dependency is supposed to create comfort to us. Although Rudolph Otto believes religion is a feeling, he believes it is a feeling of mystery. He describes it as the mystery of the what an individual might believe as being what draws them to be a follower. The uncertainty keeps others wanting to know more and be interested in the beliefs. There is no way to know for sure what events are fiction or nonfiction in the times that many of the religions were devolved. The mystery and blind faith is what pulls followers in and keep them constantly thinking about religion.

1. “Religion, however defined, helps explain many other activities.”
decide what choices we make. I agree with this belief a lot because I truly think we make all of our choices based on our background and upbringing. Factors like religion play a huge role in our personalities such as morals. Our personality plays a factor in everything we do such as how we treat a stranger or sportsmanship, thus religions explains why we act certain ways in a wide spectrum of activities and