Drawing The Methodological Pattern of Religious Studies Based on Conceptual Clarification of "Approach", "Method" and "Paradigm"

The three concepts of "approach", "Method" and "Paradigm" are inserted to the methodology of religious researches from philosophy of Science. Not paying exact attention to the concepts, their referents, or even their translation has created confusion in the methodology of religious researches such that these concepts are considered synonyms at times, or with different meanings at other times or are used in place of one another. It is necessary to exactly define the three concepts to remove this methodological flaw and to draw an appropriate methodological pattern to explicate the position of each concept in religious researches. Unlike experimental sciences, there is a kind of interaction between paradigms, approaches, and methods in religious studies. Paradigm determines necessary and proper methods and approach in religious researches. On the other hand, knowledge of paradigms is based on the knowledge of approach and methods. This causes different answers to a single issue in different paradigms. Religious approach and methods also have a dynamic relation and a generative interaction and every approach should have its own special methods. Every paradigm needs its proper approach and every approach needs its own special methods.