Why study religion?
- Religious studies can gave one a good grasp on world civilizations and increasingly globalized culture.
- Religious studies can help one clarify one’s ethical and moral views.
- Religious studies can help provide meaningfulness to life and work.
- Religious studies can help one identify ways to make the world better
- Religious studies can give one the motivation to pursue transformation and change.
- Religious studies can give insight into existence and the cosmos.
- Religious studies allows one to develop knowledge of multiple disciplines such as history, philosophy, anthropology and psychology.
- Religious studies can open the door to other significant fields of knowledge.
- Religious studies helps one appreciate ancient wisdom
- Religious studies can help one to learn about God
- Last but not least, religious studies can help one know one’s self
Please share some other reasons. Also please share what you got out of this semester, either on a spiritual, ethical or intellectual level.
Why study religion? In this era of mass migration, we have been interacting daily with people of different cultures. Religion is closely tied to a culture's beliefs, way of thinking, and norms of society. By getting an insight about many different religions, we are becoming more aware of our surroundings; therefore, we will be able to make less generalizations and not judge based on stereotypes, and it will be easier to conduct intercultural communication successfully without offending anyone. Since Miami is so culturally diverse, it is important to be aware of the various belief systems that exist not only for our personal knowledge, but also to understand where one's opinions may originate from. Thank you for a great semester, Professor!
ReplyDelete-Margi
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOne cannot go about, believing in what they were taught as a child, with no questions asked. Our faith needs to be personal, and strengthened with trials. How can I ascertain that I do not agree with a certain belief system or religious group without truly understanding its origin and reasoning? I cannot, and to do so would be an act of ignorance. It is so important, to not only know what somebody believes, but also why they believe. Many practices and belief systems can seem strange because we do not have the context necessary to understand them. This religious studies class has given me the opportunity to learn about, and analyze a plethora of religions from around the world. This has helped me attain the contextual knowledge necessary to better understand those religions. Yes, at times I felt uneasy when researching other beliefs and comparing them to my own, but in the end it proved to strengthen my faith. This class has shown me how important religious study is, and I believe everyone should take the opportunity to do so.
ReplyDelete