Classes for the Masses Part 2: Religious Studies

I'm not a religious person, but I went to a Catholic high school.  I was drawn there by the fantastic general academics the school offered, but I was initially slightly wary of the four-year sequence of required religious classes.  In retrospect, two of those classes have been some of the most important courses I've ever taken, at least in terms of being a member of society.

The class I took in freshman year was an overview of the major modern world religions.  This included, but was not limited to, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism.  That class really opened my eyes.  Understanding the major religions of the world is key to understanding the dynamics of the world as a whole.  That may sound hyperbolic, but it really isn't.  Religion can act as a path to peace or to war, and misunderstandings between religious groups tip the balance toward the latter.  This is why I think that everyone should have a basic understanding of world religions.  I firmly believe that if everyone took a class like this, these misunderstandings and their consequences would drop drastically.  The problems wouldn't go away entirely - people are people, after all - but there would be a difference.

The class I took in sophomore year was an in-depth study of the Old Testament.  This is another area of knowledge that I believe everyone should have some experience in.  The Old Testament is a key document for three major world religions - Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.  Because these three religions also happen to have millennia of history of members warring with each other over religious disputes, it is especially important to understand the text that they hold as relatively common ground.  The Old Testament helps to give perspective on many things that happen throughout history up through today because it is so crucial to three religions that have shaped the modern world.

The areas of religious studies are not the only ones that are interesting or useful.  For example, I took a class just last semester which examined the role of bodies in early Christianity which gave me a totally different perspective on the early Church than my high school had.  However, I believe that some basic religious studies knowledge, particularly in the areas outlined above, is important for everyone to have so that communication between members of different religions is effective and so that mutual respect and tolerance is maximized.

Okay, I just looked back on what I wrote and I realized something a little creepy.  This four-paragraph blog post shares some striking similarities with the highly structured four paragraph essays I wrote back in high school.  STOP HAUNTING ME, JANE SCHAFFER AND YOUR BLASTED ESSAY FORMAT.