Identity & Scope Template
1. Unit Type
- Define the level (civilization-scale religion, sect, denomination, order, movement, cult, civil religion).
- State explicitly: “This analysis treats X as a [unit type].”
2. Naming
- Emic (self-designation): what insiders call it.
- Etic (external/scholarly): what outsiders or academics call it.
- Note conflicts, distortions, or colonial residue.
3. Boundaries
- Inclusion rules: what marks membership (doctrine, practice, authority, text).
- Exclusion rules: what crosses into a different religion.
- Address syncretism and diaspora—explain whether they’re inside or outside the scope.
4. Time Span
- Origin point: founder, earliest texts, first archaeology, or self-claimed timelessness.
- Key transformations: reforms, schisms, revivals, institutionalization.
- State if the unit is still active, dormant, or extinct.
5. Geography
- Place of origin.
- Expansion corridors (trade, conquest, migration).
- Diaspora and global distribution.
- Differences between “core” and “peripheral” forms.
6. Evidence Base
- Main sources used to establish the identity (texts, oral traditions, inscriptions, archaeology, external observers).
- Reliability/limitations noted.
7. Dimensional Check
- Cross-check scope against seven standard dimensions (ritual, myth, doctrine, ethics/law, institution, material, experiential).
- Note if identity is anchored in ritual practice vs doctrinal text.
Example (Christianity, filled in)
- Unit Type: Civilization-scale world religion.
- Naming: Emic – ekklesia (“the Church”); Etic – “Christianity” (first applied by outsiders in Antioch, Acts 11:26).
- Boundaries: Inclusion – belief in Christ as Messiah, baptism, participation in Eucharist. Exclusion – rejection of Christ as divine or central.
- Time Span: Origin in 1st century CE, transformations through Constantinian era, Reformation, global missions, contemporary pluralism.
- Geography: Origin in Judea; expansion via Roman Empire; later global diaspora.
- Evidence Base: Canonical texts (New Testament), early church fathers, archaeology of house churches, Roman records.
- Dimensional Check: Identity stable across ritual (Eucharist, baptism) and doctrinal dimensions (Creeds).