The Principle of Precaution; the Methodology of the Religious Study

The first step in finding out the efficiency of every research and study is recognizing its different aspects, especially its methodology. Study of religion as one of the most important spheres of research – if not the most important one – is based on a host of methodological principles and rules; it would be difficult and even impossible to derive correct and reliable results without recognizing and applying these principles and rules. One of them is “the principle of precaution”. According to this principle, the researcher in the sphere of religion must enter this realm responsibly and be accountable to the results of his/ her research. This would be possible through practical mechanisms such as avoiding subjective interpretation and starting from certain premises. The present article is aiming at explaining the necessity of observing “the principle of precaution” in studying religion. It also investigates practical methods for observing this principle