Craig Martin's hermeneutic of suspicion and functionalism

Huma 510 Moina Maaz Fall 2019 | Final essay A letter to Grace  November/29/2019 Dear Daughter I know that you are in an eager search for a spiritual path that can fill your existence with meaning and your soul with bliss and I am here to support you in every way possible. Before embarking on your college experience and following your dreams I want to stress the importance of your connection with your genuine core and for me, this was accomplished on the path of spirituality. Your spiritual path will lead you to your sacred space which can be either the route of escape from suffering or the guide towards the true meaning of life and the knowledge of self. I am aware that this struggle might be an issue that your generation is dealing with especially with the speedy rise of technology that can deteriorate your mindfulness and stresses “becoming” over “being”. I raised you according to my best abilities and I taught you the foundation of my own religion, however, I felt that the void within you was never filled and therefore I am providing you with genuine and sincere advice that might help you in your quest. In this letter, I will be presenting to you what I believe is the best way to approach religion and it is by using “the hermeneutic of suspicion” which is a clearing of your mind and a suspension of your presupposed knowledge. By doing that you will be increasing your objectivity and releasing your pre-dominant biases and you will be able to understand and articulate the core of the religion of your choice. First, I will address the meaning of this concept -hermeneutic of suspicion- and second I will also present to you the concept of functionalism that requires narrowing the focus on one particular function of what you are intending to research so you can access the required authenticity. Like you know I was born and raised as a Christian but the emptiness within my soul was never filled and I felt always that my existence is longing for something, but I wasn’t sure what it was. As I decided to learn about other religions, I was shocked by my intellectual resistance and mind rigidity and this problem wasn't easy to be overcome until I came across A Critical Introduction to the Study of Religion by Craig Martin; a book that changed my life and shaped my knowledge. In this book, Martin presents a new concept called the “hermeneutic of suspension” which is the ability to suspiciously interpret whatever is being studied (Martin, 7). To adapt to this concept, you ought to lay the religion of your choice along with its practices and claims under a microscope using a skeptic lens. Do not take any concepts in their face value and do not judge a religion by the practices of its followers. Dig in deep into its core and history and consider the critiques before focusing on the insider’s view and then form your judgments and weigh its validity and relevance to your life and needs. This process is easier said than done because, in our mundane life, we are not aware of the resistance that might rise to the surface once we are engaged in skepticism. Looking at the other side of the coin, you will encounter the concept of “functionalism” which entitles the researcher to focus on a particular function (Martin, 7) of the intended religion or material that is being researched and how it plays in society. The functionalism is in most cases the perspective of a scholar or an outsider “etic” on a religion (p,8.) because it favors the historical context over the personal and spiritual believes of the insider’s view on a religion “emic”. Moreover, and if you are interested, you can refer to Freud’s theory of religion that Martin views as “the perfect example of a functionalist approach joined with a hermeneutic of suspicion” (p,8). According to Freud, every individual has a psychological need to elevate the suffering therefore religions were created as an elusive dimension where the person is promised repentance and salvation from his suffering. Moreover, I recommend that you check the four benefits for the use of the combined hermeneutic of suspicion with functionalism that Martin proposes in the first chapter of the book. First, Martin suggests that the method of using the two concepts is a part of everyone's ideology because we tend to be skeptic about the religion of others therefore, it will not be hard to incorporate it in our thinking. Second, approaching a religion through a particular function can teach the individual very important and interesting things "[that] we would not otherwise see" (p, 11). The third benefit rises from is the way the function of a religion can secure the supernatural explanations (p,15) and I believe that is the most fascinating benefit and here is why: the supernatural explanations in most cases do not rely on rational structure and therefore they will seem absurd to an outsider but the function can link this supernatural to a social attribute can stress the acceptance of the supernatural. For instance, whether a priest has the power to erase sins or not his function in the act of confession strengthens the position of the church and secures its authority. Therefore, the perspective of an outsider and an insider of religion will often overlap in observing and accepting what functionalism can do to a belief system. The fourth reason stresses the use of the hermeneutic of suspicion because there are religious claims that cannot be fact-checked (p, 15). Martin argues that human beings are fallible, and they do contradict their own belief amid their certitude. As a result, and after considering these four reasons for Martin's suggested approaches, I will guarantee you that you will be able to visualize a spiritual path that will fill your void. The spiritual space in every human being depends on the sacred in all its various forms and I believe that the sacred is what helps us navigate our lives and maintain our sanity when we are faced with pain and suffering, therefore, we ought to skeptically aim at a religion that helps us best access the sacred. Skepticism can open the door for you and teach you three main skills: first, the methodology of controlling your perspectives, second enchaining your biases, and third articulating a more objective form of knowledge all which will help you achieve your goal. Let’s take Buddhism for instance, in our Islamic environment you probably have heard that the Buddhists are the infidels that have a polytheistic belief that will never allow them to enter the heavens. If you decide to research Buddhism, you have to suspend your previous knowledge and enter the domain of your research with a mind hungry for true knowledge. Your Islamic upbringing indoctrinated you to perceive Buddhism and its polytheistic structure as something disgracing for the soul, but your perspective is not the objective truth, therefore, you ought to consider other stands on Buddhism and this is done by using the hermeneutic of suspicion. One other perspective can demonstrate with references how Buddhism can be a way of life that can lead to wisdom and enlightenment, and another can present Buddhism as the only way towards salvation from suffering and so on. Moreover, and to enchain your biases I advise you to use “functionalism” as a method of skeptic observation. Acknowledge the focal point for your researched religion and it is the one that all the other acquired information should revolve around. This focal point should be a practical function of this religion and the social role it plays. Let’s take the practice of bathing in the Ganges river for the Hindus. The Hindus believe that the Ganges river is sacred and that bathing in it will wash away the sins. The ritual and pilgrimage around this practice had a huge social effect on the Hindus and therefore it should be carefully studied. You can hear from an individual practicing different religions that this ritual is absurd and bathing in the Ganges should be banned because of the growing Bacteria that is causing a rise in sicknesses. Therefore, you should approach a function as such with suspicion and transparency because it is a fundamentally religious and social discipline for the Hindus while it can be conspiracy or trivial for others. The third benefit for the suspicious interpretation is the enhancement of objectivity and it is done by addressing and accessing a wider range of information about the researched spiritual path while being aware of the emotional involvement and the necessary need for its reduction. It is also worth it to mention that the sacred is mostly accessed by the power of our emotions but in my humble opinion I don’t think that this access can thrive. Using the hermeneutic of suspicion or/and functionalism is a mental process that will help you dwell in a safe mental dimension with the most objectivity that is possible to attain and hence you will find what can fill the void within your soul. Lastly, I would like to warn you from a related slippery slope that you have to avoid; we are all skeptic of the religions that are different than ours, but this is not the kind of skepticism that I am referring to. Being judgmental about other’s believes to improve the status of our religion rises from ignorance and biases and it leads to violence and territoriality. Approaching a religion with skepticism and suspicion might seem insulting to the practitioners and leaders of a religion and you might encounter their mental rigidity as you try to obtain information from them. Your skeptic attitude along with your interrogation might be a threat to their beliefs, therefore, be ready to face their resistance and be adequate so you can absorb their anger and derive conclusions from it. The suspicious interpretation that Martin offers in his book is not an approach but rather an intellectual skill that can be polished and sharpened by the use of functionalism. Dear daughter be sure that no one has ever obtained the sacred but the wise is the one that finds the best way to access it on demand and for me it was through suspiciously understanding Islam and consistently focusing on its function of social justice and equality along with the importance of the struggle with the self in order to enhance its growth. It is also worth it to consider Martin’s point of view on the atheistic attitude where he says that “there are many scholars who are-for all practical purposes- atheists at work, but devout religious practitioners at home” (p,8). At the end of the letter, I want to tell you that I shared the deepest and most genuine aspects of my spiritual quest that led me toward inner peace and intellectual satisfaction. Functionalism and the hermeneutic of suspicion were the flames that enlightened my path and led me to the truth; through the former I was able to focus on a particular function in Islam that led me to its authentic core and through the latter I was able to manipulate my biases and suspend my indoctrinated previous knowledge, all which made my mind a more moldable faculty and my perceptions were spread on wider angle. My best wishes to you my sweet daughter and I will always be here to support you in every way possible and offer you, my unconditional love. your mother, Moina Maaz Work Cited Martin, Craig. “A Critical Introduction to the Study of Religion,” 2017. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315474410. 1