The Circularity in Defining Religion

In this chapter Kocku von Stuckrad and Shaul Magid debate the utility of Magid’s initial definition that religion is, in many ways, a paradox, one that makes any definition of religion difficult to sustain. Von Stuckrad argues that such a definition risks reifying a certain form of religion and then assuming that its features are somehow general and universally applicable. He also argues that Magid’s definition attributes agency to religion when, in fact, religion does not actually do anything—social actors do. While agreeing to a certain extent, Magid counters with the claim that von Stuckrad does not place sufficient attention on issues of colonialism and imperialism.