Elizabeth Bautista
Dr. Michael McGowan
World Religions 2300
September 3, 2018
Religion, something that has been around since the beginning of time. It is something so extraordinary, yet it is so unexplainable. Religion is defined as “a system of beliefs and practices that provides values to give life meaning and coherence by directing a person toward transcendence” (McGowan, 2018, P.11). People have always wanted to have a concrete answer as to what religion really is or what the purpose of it is. The only way to get a better understanding of religion is by studying it. The First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees “freedom of religion” for United States citizens. This means that no college student should be forced to follow any religion. They can still learn about religions without being pushed towards one religion in particular. If college students are more educated about religion, then they can get a better understanding of how people around them live their daily lives and how they view the world around them. This will benefit our communities and the world around us by making it a safer place for generations to come.
To begin with, religion plays an immensely important role in some people’s lives. The more we apprehend the way they view the world around them then the more we can comprehend them as a person and a religious group. In the textbook, it states, “To study the worlds religion is to progress from mere observation to understanding their meaning and relevance” (Brodd et al, World Religions, P.3). That is exactly what we are doing when we study religion. We are going from just watching and observing how people worship, pray, meditate, and how they think to actually learn about why they do certain things and that’s the beauty of it all. “World Religions has been a course of study in American colleges and universities for nearly a century” (Brodd et al, World Religions, P.4). If studying religion has been a course of study for that long of a time, then it must have some importance. College students should have the chance to take a class like this because it teaches them things that they have never learned in school before. It allows them to learn the history and root of it all. “To study the world’s religion is to enhance one’s understanding and appreciation of the rich variety of cultures around the globe” (Brodd et al, World Religions, P.4). It opens up their minds to accepting people who are not the same as they are. Once you comprehend why some religious groups do certain things then you have a better understanding of the world around you.
Furthermore, taking a religions class will help students develop a better knowledge of world religions if it is taught in a respectful and appropriate manner. Some potential strategies that could be used in class are to be open-minded and don’t push a religion towards anybody that way their freedom of religion isn’t limited. “The academic approach strives to analyze and describe religions in a way that is accurate and fair for all concerned” (Brodd et al, World Religions, P. 25). “Another basic concept for the academic approach to religion is empathy, the capacity for seeing things from another’s perspective” (Brodd et al, World Religions, P. 25). When studying religion, you must be able to see through someone else’s perspective and how they view certain things. Doing so will help you gain an understanding of people and their religious beliefs.
To continue, there are so many benefits to studying religion. Studying religion will help you gain global insight into what goes on around in the world. Every day on the news you see something different about how some religious groups are not being treated fairly. The more you learn about world religions then the more you can assimilate what they are going through and why they are being treated a certain way. Sometimes you can even recognize why certain religious groups do certain things in the name of religion. “Even more troubling is the constant barrage of reports regarding acts of terrorism and other forms of violence committed in the name of religion” (Brodd et al, World Religions, P.18). The more knowledge you gain about religion then the more beneficial it will be to comprehend people and see their point of views.
On the contrary, if we don’t study religion then there are some pitfalls and dangers that we may face. People will be so small minded to the point where they’ll believe anything they hear. For example, one common thing that people who are not educated in religion think, is that all Muslims are terrorist but that is not true in the slightest. There are often times that certain religious leaders do things that are not acceptable and then the whole religious community is affected by it. “But everyone in today’s world recognizes that actions are done in the name of religion that hardly seem compatible with ideals or moral imperatives” (Brodd et al, World Religions, P.18). After the 9/11 attacks, there were many Muslims that were harassed and killed because people thought they were terrorists. If people were more educated about religions, then they would know that Muslims are not terrorist. It is a danger to our communities for uneducated people to make critical remarks about people and their religions based on ideas that make no sense at all.
To conclude with, religion should be studied in public colleges because it allows students to expand their knowledge to learn new things that they have never learned before. It will benefit them in so many ways. It will give them a better understanding of the world around them which will enhance their intelligence. If all college students take a religions class, then our world will be a much safer place.