A Shift from Knowledge-Centered Epistemology to Understanding-Centered Epistemology in the Philosophy of Religion

Understanding-centered philosophy of religion, in addition to examining the rationality of religious beliefs, also pays attention to the way of achieving religious understanding and to the factors that are effective on it. This understanding is therefore more ambitious than knowledge-centered epistemology and also emphasizes the experimental, practical, emotional, social, and cultural aspects of religion. In this philosophical approach to religion, insights gained from these various dimensions are used to deepen the understanding of religion and foster a more profound faith. Understanding-centered epistemology not only broadens the responsibilities of the philosopher of religion but also shifts the focus in the philosophy of religion from disagreement to dialogue, from individual-oriented rationality to the wisdom cultivated by communities, from differences as an epistemic challenge to diversity as an epistemic opportunity. It also plays a role in fostering synergy among different religious traditions.