Hiya Revl.
Enjoy your vacation! Maybe I can keep up the metaphysical phyte around these parts.
Above you asked, "SINCE WHEN IS THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF RELIGION BAD SCIENCE?"
Science, by definition deals with material reality, so metaphysical considerations fall outside of the realm of "good science."
Now... a sociological study of religion(s) is more close to the good science definition, but that's not why you called.
I would argue though, that science is pushing the bounds of materialism. Or maybe a better way of saying it would be that:
Materialism is starting to limit and constrain science.
Somebody suggested I read
"The Web of Life" by Fritjof Capra, 1995. Capra also appreciates Stuart Kauffman's "Recreating the Sacred" ideas.
From
The Web of Life This book is about a new scientific understanding of life at all levels of living systems--organisms, social systems, and ecosystems. It is based on a new perception of reality that has profound implications not only for science and philosophy, but also for business, politics, health care, education, and everyday life. ~p.3
...
Today... we recognize the paradigm shift in physics as an integral part of a much larger cultural transformation. The intellectual crisis of the quantum physicists in the 1920s is mirrored today by a similar but much broader cultural crisis. Accordingly, what we are seeing is a shift of paradigms not only within science, but also in the larger social arena. ~p.5
...
This, in a nutshell, is the great challenge of our time: to create sustainable communities--that is to say, social and cultural environments in which we can satisfy our needs and aspirations without diminishing the chances of future generations. ~p.4
Integrative science is a tool that this new, holistic perspective uses.
...and as this includes social considerations, ethical judgements, and long-term values, there may be room for some recognition for the values and ethics of religions.
To my way of thinking, the religions--like the sciences--are tools we use to try and understand reality.
None of them
are reality, or perfectly describe reality; but they work well as tools to help us evolve.
~
