Is stoicism a religion?

Thesis (M.A., Liberal Arts) -- California State University, Sacramento, 2010.The academic community considers Stoicism to be a philosophical school that reached its peak in Rome during the first few centuries of the Common Era. Often overlooked are Stoicism???s religious over tones. Beyond its philosophical dimension, Roman Stoicism should be categorized as a religion. How do modern scholars define religion? This is not a simple task. This thesis uses the expertise of Edward Arnold and Gilbert Murray to make a direct case for Stoicism as being a religion. The thesis employs the dimensional approach from Ninian Smart as a broad analysis of religion and some of its basic elements. In order to bring home the point that Stoicism is a religion, the thesis analyzes three distinct definitions of religion. Clifford Geertz, Melford Spiro, and Bruce Lincoln each approach their definitions in different ways. To this end, the thesis capitalizes on these diverse definitions to argue that Stoicism conforms to them. The thesis employs these particular definitions because they are highly influential and respected approaches to the study of religion. When put together they can form an authoritative consensus on what constitutes a religion. The textual support comes from the works of the Roman Stoics themselves, Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius. Taken as a whole, through these definitions and the works of the Roman Stoics, the thesis concludes that Stoicism is a religion by current standards in the field of religious studies.Liberal Art