Religion and Theology

I. The Best Way to Study World Religions
I agree that the section on Major Non-Christian World Religions in the World Almanac provides a nice introduction to world religions apart from Christianity.  But, I disagree with my classmate that perusing this section of the book is the best way to study world religions.  After all, religion is a way of life for those who follow it.  Considering religion from the viewpoint of an individual who has spent decades trying to follow it correctly, for example, a Buddhist who has striven hard on the path of the Buddha with absolute faith in the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path and the Five Precepts  it appears ludicrous to study world religions with encyclopedic entries, unless, of course, one insists upon limiting his or her understanding of these belief systems.
   
Moreover, the encyclopedic entries on world religions in the World Almanac are bound to mislead readers as they do not cover some of the most essential matters concerning these religions.  As an example, Major Non-Christian World Religions reads that Buddhists practice their religion by meditation, magical chanting and elaborate temple rites.  But this encyclopedic entry fails to mention the Eightfold Path, which includes right conduct and right speech.  For a Buddhist conscious of his or her speech and conduct in the path of the Buddha, the Eightfold Path is the same as practice of religion.  Likewise, a Buddhist who makes sacrifices of his or her desires because he or she has faith in Four Noble Truths is practicing his or her religion.  By omitting such practices from its introductions to world religions, the World Almanac has done Buddhism a disservice.
   
Clearly, an individual who wishes to study world religions so as to adopt beliefs of a new faith cannot find sufficient information in the World Almanac.  A polytheist, for example, cannot find enough information about the gods and goddesses of Hinduism as he or she peruses Major Non-Christian World Religions.  Knowing the names of Vishnu, Shiva and Shakti through the World Almanac is nearly not as enlightening as being introduced to Brahma as the god of creation and Shiva as the god of destruction.  What if the polytheist believes he or she has learned everything there was to know about Hinduism after perusing Major Non-Christian World Religions, and ends up calling on Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction, when in fact, he or she would like to call upon Brahma, the god of creation, to ask for a child  
   
 With these arguments, I must restate that the World Almanac is not an authoritative source on world religions, considering that it omits essential details such as the practices of Buddhism inspired by the beliefs of the Buddhists.  The section of the World Almanac entitled Major Non-Christian World Religions provides a good overview of each religion it covers.  It must be borne in mind, however, that most religions have scriptures and followers of these belief systems spend their entire lifetimes perusing the same.  So, for example, the World Almanac names the Koran and the Torah as the holy books of the Muslims and the Jews respectively.  In order to study these religions in depth, one must read these scriptures and reread them if necessary.  In fact, there are countless books available on each major world religion apart from Christianity.  To state that one has studied these religions merely by reading Major Non-Christian World Religions would essentially be a falsehood.        

II. It is Necessary to Include Religious Courses in the Core Curriculum
Like our fingerprints, our individual belief systems are never the same.  I may have been raised by Catholic parents who argued about their religious beliefs in my presence, turning me into a skeptic for the rest of my life as I had been given the freedom to question their theological arguments.  You, on the other hand, may have been raised by Protestant parents who attended a Catholic church as it was right next to your home.  Yet, our parents held the same belief in Christology.
   
Today, we are fellow students.  Some of us are Muslims.  Others are Jews, Hindus or Buddhists.  As world events unfold day after day in our newspapers and on television sets, we are further aware that the world is not as peaceful as our academic institution, where differences are respected rather than struggled against.  Seeing that we would leave our educational institution soon enough to enter the real world where some of us would serve as senators and others as journalists besides numerous other valuable professionals, I assert that it is necessary to include religious courses in the core curriculum as these courses would further strengthen our faith in respect for differences.  We would make invaluable contributions to human society thus.
   
If we are Christians, for example, we would not hate Muslims because their religion places an emphasis on orthopraxy and ours stresses orthodoxy instead.  Similarly, if we are Muslims, we would respect Judaism as a natural unity between the Jewish people and their faith.  Just as Judaism forms the identity of the Jewish people, each religion can be considered as an identity-building element of its followers life.  As a matter of fact, religion is akin to race and nationality, none of which can be challenged.  Of course, it is possible to change ones religion just as it is possible to acquire a new nationality.  For example, a Hindu from India who has had faith in Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Raja Yoga all his life may decide to become a Buddhist, thereby giving up his national religion to adopt its offshoot, which is Buddhism, instead.  All the same, the new Buddhist would be required to respect Hindus of India as he did before.  As twelve percent of the population of India is Muslim, the new Buddhist would be required to respect Muslims too.                  
   
I believe that studying religions is as interesting as studying geography.  Regardless of whether we believe in God or evolution, it is enlightening to learn about different belief systems on the planet.  As a healthy academic group, we may even laugh at the folly of those who fight in the name of religion. They should learn from us  but only after we have deepened our understanding of diverse belief systems.
   
Why do we study biology  Why do we desire to learn more about unusual fishes in the deep sea  Indeed, diversity is wonderful.  What if all of us looked the same  It would be as boring as holding the same belief system.  In fact, if our belief systems would not be different as they are, we would be considered an inane race, that is, the entire human race.  Hence, I must reassert that studying world religions is vital as it opens our minds to diverse worldviews, helping us to perfect our own opinions and beliefs.  We are sure to become finer individuals with the study of world religions, as gaining knowledge only helps.