Religious studies, also known as the study of
religion, are an academic
field devoted to research into religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion,
emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.
Before
going further in this course, there is one area that has to be clarified and
this is the study of religion as an academic discipline.
In
this article, you will be concerned with the reasons why religion has to be
studied and you will also learn the various fields of study that are available
in religious studies.
By
the end of this article, you should be able to discuss why religion should be
studied, enumerate the various fields of study available in Christian Religious
Studies and determine your area of interest.
Why study religion?
“Why
we study religion” should be our first basic question in undertaking the study
of religion. Some students know exactly why they wish to undertake the study
while others have no clear sense of their intention.
We
have discovered, however, that students who found themselves in the study of
religion soon found out several reasons why they were pursuing the right
course, and why others needed to also engage in pursuing
it.
We have also noted that others who encountered religious issues in life
situations and other careers as in politics, history, ecology, international
relations, medicine, etc have seen the need to study religion in a formal and
structured system. Studying religion is the path to emancipation from
ignorance.
Contrary
to the prevalent belief, the ignorant individual is the one who does not
acknowledge that there is God. This is why the one of the wise sayings of
Israel states that “the fool says in his heart that there is no God”. The fool
in the context of that saying does not refer to a moron but rather, to the
ignorant.
As
in every field of learning, the study of religion leads to the acquisition of
information and skills. Consequently, those who study religion become experts
in the field they have chosen to study.
The
study of religion also leads to an increased appreciation of God and fellow
human beings. It leads to an increased appreciation of God in that God seems to
be the object of all religions.
It
leads to the appreciation of fellow human beings in that you would be able to
see how humans of different ages and from different places have been able to
grasp the concept of the divine and have attempted to relate with the divine.
What to study in religion: The Scope and Areas of the Discipline
Religious studies, also known as the study of
religion, are an academic
field devoted to research into religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion,
emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.
Religion
today has become a specialized course as there are so many areas that one could
specialize in. Looking at Christianity as an example, the following are the
areas that one could specialize:
1. Biblical Studies: This is the area of religious study that deals exclusively with the study of the sacred text of Christianity – the Bible. Scholars in this field have two broad areas – the Old Testament and the New Testament.
It has to be noted
however that the study of textual criticism (that aspect of biblical studies
that deals with the transmission of the correct text of the Bible) is however
currently a field of study in its own right but subsumed within biblical
studies.
2. Theological Studies: Theological studies are that aspect of Christian religious studies that deals with the understanding of the doctrines and the dogmas of the church. Theological studies have always been approached from two basic angles: the historical angle and the contemporary angle.
Apart from systematic theology that is the
systematic studies of theology, the following are the branches of theology that
one could specialize in:
Systematic theology, Feminist Theology, Liberation Theology, Catholic Theology, Protestant Theology, Evangelical Theology, African Christian Theology and Islamic Theology. Comparative Studies of Religion In comparative studies, the scholars intend to study other religions from an apologetic point of view.
This means
that though they are studying other religions, they are only doing it with the
purpose of being able to preach the gospel to the adherents of that faith and
to be able to explain their faith to others. The following are the major
divisions within comparative studies of religion:
African Traditional
Religion: this is the field of study that examines the
traditional religions of the Africans. It attempts to systematize their beliefs
and theology as well as practices.
New Religious Movements:
this is field of study that is dedicated to the study of Oriental religions
that have suddenly gained popularity in the world. The religions studied under
this umbrella include: Buddhism, Hinduism and the Hare Krishna movement.
Islamic Religious Studies:
Islamic religion is often studied on its own because of its global importance
to the culture, politics and economy of the globe.
It
has to be noted too that the study of Islam is of particular interest to the
Nigerians because of the large presence of Muslims in the country.
3. Historical Studies: This
is the aspect of religious studies that focus on the history of the church both
as a corporate organization and as local parishes. The major field here is
Church History.
4. Ethics, Morality and Social Issues: This is the major area of Christian religious studies that has to do with the relationship between the demands of the faith and the society. It examines what is known as the ethics of the religion vis-Ã -vis the ethics of the society. It also looks at morality issues.
Under this umbrella, the following can be studied Ethics and Morality, Social
issues and Society and Culture and cultural issues. There are other specialized
fields in religious studies that have grown beyond the confines of Christian
religious studies and have become specialized fields on their own and are so
pursued.
These
are, Sociology of Religion, Philosophy of Religion, Psychology of Religion and
Ecology/Geography of Religion. These courses can be studied on their own and so
no comment would be made here on them.
Also read: Common Characteristics/ Features of Religious Traditions
In
this article you have been given three major reasons why religion is being
studied and you have been exposed to the various fields of study that exist
within Christian Theology, which is your field.
Most
of these fields have been explained briefly only to arouse your curiosity so
that you can learn about them more.
The
following are the major points you have been exposed to in this article:
Reasons for the study of religion includes: emancipation from ignorance,
acquisition of information and skills and an increased appreciation of God and
human beings.
The
followings are the various fields of study available: biblical studies,
theological studies, comparative studies, historical studies and Ethics,
morality and societal studies.
Also read: What Is Religion? Definition and Characteristic
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