Religious Studies is not particularly the most common subject choice amongst students applying for university, however, there are a powerhouse of benefits of doing so, if you have any remote interest in religion.
“We ignore the global impact of religion, in my judgment, at our peril”-ex-U. S secretary of State John Kerry
On the 8th of April, 1966, in a bold, blood red font against a black background, Time Magazine emblazoned its front cover with the words: “Is God Dead?”.
The provocative move, dubbed by the Los Angeles Times as one of the “10 magazine covers that shook the world”, gave Times its biggest newsstand sales in more than 20 years and elicited 3,500 letters to the editor.
Unsurprisingly the article, written by John T. Elson, provoked a hostile reaction from members of the Christian community, many of whom saw it as an irreverent attack on their faith. Actually, Elson’s article is much subtle and more understated: what he had investigated, in a nutshell, was man’s need for God and whether in a deeply rational and scientific age religion was still a necessary part of people’s lives.
Looking back now, Elson’s article no longer feels particularly radical: in our current age attacks on religion have become relatively commonplace.
Not only are there bookshelves overflowing with works predicting religions inevitable demise, but many committed to unearthing its ‘inherently evil’ nature. Many have devoted substantial portions of their lives attempting to prove both. Richard Dawkins, the late Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris and Daniel Dennett are prime candidates here, earning themselves a scary nickname in Academic circles: The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse.
Despite these aggressive assaults religion stubbornly continues to be a key influencer and shaper of behaviour around the world. Everywhere you look: from Warsaw to Washington not only does faith dictate the lives of ordinary people but it dramatically affects both long-term and short-term political policy.
Recently ex-U. S secretary of State John Kerry said that if he were to go back to college he would “major in comparative religion, because that’s how integrated it is in everything that we are working on and deciding and thinking about in life today…we ignore the global impact of religion, in my judgement, at our peril”.
So for those considering taking the plunge and embarking on a Theology degree: just what do you learn studying Religion at University?
To answer that question, I’ve divided the answer into a number of categories below to show you the knowledge and skills you can gain from the subject:
- Empathy: Empathy is arguably the most important trait we can learn and one that all great thinkers: artists, writers, scientists, politicians, human rights activists share. It’s essentially a deeper and more grounded understanding of others: their thoughts, motivations and actions. Very simply: it’s an understanding of why people do what they do. As a Religious Studies student, this kind of awareness is something you will constantly have to hone and deploy as you’ll be studying cultures and belief systems that are vastly different from your own.
- Abundance of general knowledge: Whether it’s learning about the influence Greek philosophy had on Christianity or why Islam is a Theocratic religion or why Krishna is so important to Hindus or why Buddhism is more of a psychology than a religion, a Theology degree will give you an opportunity to broaden your mind and learn things that in all honesty: you should probably know anyway. This is mainly because it’s such a broad degree that incorporates aspects of history, psychology, sociology and philosophy.
- Better Research skills: Whilst at school you can give your opinion quite freely without a great deal of evidence to support it, at University you’ll be expected to (at least partially) base your arguments on a range of sources providing evidence for your views and you’ll quickly find that whilst it’s useful: Wikipedia isn’t one of these. Whilst they’re annoying, the strict guidelines tutors place on essay research and Bibliographies will only make you an infinitely better researcher, something guaranteed to stand you in good stead in later life.
- Better writing and communication skills: As with most humanity degrees throughout your studies you’ll be constantly honing the art of writing clearly, concisely and engagingly. Not only will you have to express yourself via your trendy new laptop, but you’ll also have to give presentations on readings and theories you have studied. Whilst these can seem daunting, unless you become a hermit the chances are you’ll only have to do more public speaking in the future. If it’s true that the number one fear shared by most people is public speaking not dying, then it’s best to conquer it quickly.
- An appetite for fun: Whilst stereotypes abound of the overly serious Theology student giving daily sermons over coffee, from my experience at least, that wasn’t the case. My department at University was full of bright and interesting people, many of whom weren’t religious at all. That doesn’t just apply to students either: most of my lecturers were fun loving and eccentric. My philosophy tutor used to turn up to tutorials in a purple Hawaiian shirt in the middle of January.
By William M, Religious Studies and Theology tutor in London.
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