Final answer:
The study of religious beliefs is challenging for anthropologists due to difficulties in defining the term, accessing religious communities, and the need to avoid applying their own cultural biases. Religious beliefs are not universally consistent and require an understanding from an insider's perspective, demanding careful and holistic approaches.
Step-by-step explanation:
Why is the study of religious beliefs challenging for anthropologists? The challenge arises from several factors, such as the difficulty in defining the subject since the term "religion" is not universally recognized and many cultures do not distinguish between practices that are "religious" or "spiritual" and their daily routines. Furthermore, beliefs and practices that comprise religion are often intertwined with the totality of a community's way of life, making it difficult to isolate for study.
Accessing religious communities (C) can be particularly challenging for anthropologists, given that some groups may be closed or wary of outsiders, especially researchers. Anthropologists must approach the subject with cultural relativism, striving to understand religious phenomena from an insider's perspective. This can be complicated when those inside the community have reasons for not fully disclosing their beliefs or when anthropologists' own cultural biases interfere.
In addition, religious beliefs are not universally consistent (B). They're deeply enmeshed in the fabric of varying cultural paradigms, hence anthropologists must be careful not to impose their own cultural definitions or assumptions on others. The methodologies used for studying religion in anthropology have evolved significantly from initial approaches based on reading and questionnaires to more immersive methods including participant-observation and ethnographic fieldwork.
Despite common misconceptions, anthropologists are not primarily focused only on economic systems (D) or have a lack of interest in religious diversity (A). In fact, anthropology is concerned with a broad array of human experiences, including economics, but is particularly well-suited to the holistic study of religions due to its commitments to diversity, holism, cultural relativism, and reaching for an insider's viewpoint.