The term "methodological atheism" refers to the idea that: a. a true scholar of religion is an atheist and uses their atheism as a basic methodological tool.
b. the academic (historical-critical) scholar of religion must be skeptical of every claim they encounter.
c. theologians are unable to do historical-critical work because they are unable to put aside their own beliefs when they investigate the ancient texts or cultures of their particular tradition.
d. scholars, both theologians and academics, must be skeptical of all methodological claims made within such fields as sociology, anthropology, and history, so as to differentiate the study of religion from those fields.