Abstract
Anthropologists have claimed that no society after became mount ins; they tell also of ancestors who were known historically, and no contemporary society for which onc living Todas but subsequently b cam divini e Beyond we have ethnographic information, has lacked a system of such indigenous c nvicions Todas have absor ed a pl thora of religious beliefs. But not all scholars have agreed with this Hindu belefs and ritua pra tices Chris i n ideology has been claim of universality, and in Religious Studies the rejection propagated amo g Todas, with fo eign led Christi n missiona of universality was associated with research on the history of the concept, "religion." In this article I examine critiques of es cceeded in es ablishing a b akaway Toda Ch isian com m ity But n wihs and g he many dive ge sou es of Toda the idea of universality and identify problematic issues they encounter. I will then look at different definitional strategies ligi s deol gy th pr do nant an mo t publi di pl y f Toda ri l a i iy ( p t f that have been adopted towards religion, with brief examples m g Ch ti n Toda ) till n-of each. This will be followed by a discussion of the concept es their u ique sa ed d i ying lt, d spite th apid d lin of empiricism in relation to the definition of religion. This will th impo c fbufflo s i the om nity's m dern d y elead to a discussion of the "ontological turn" in anthropology nomi lif Ths, t geth withth ir x l ivelyT d d iti d ul h s e t sugg t a niq e th i r ligi , and the corporeal nature of human beings that underlies our freq nty at g i d " on Hind ." But dem tr bly Indi shared sensory experience. Finally, I will offer a definition of (the ef e, if only l o ely "Hi d ") pri iples e me t Tod religion that supports the claim of universality. [universality itual ti ity Mo t tab are the nc pt ofhi hy and p ity nd thos of ibed rit l id co p d with religion, religious studies, definitional strategies, empiricism, ontological turn] i d rit p of