Why Study Religion?

[JustGeorge]

Looking at another post, I became curious...

Many people study religion. Some stick with their own, others enjoy learning about the beliefs and practices of others. Do you? If you do, why?

 

[dybmh]

Myth, legend, and symbolism interest me.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

I find reading about religions and their practices very insightful. I don't use the practices since I don't know the culture, but it intrigues me nonetheless.

 

[Cooky]

Looking at another post, I became curious...

Many people study religion. Some stick with their own, others enjoy learning about the beliefs and practices of others. Do you? If you do, why?

I know everything there is to know about Catholicism. Learning about other religions is just noise to me, that has the potential of clouding-up my knowledge.

 

[Heyo]

I'm intrigued by how people can be so wrong with so much confidence.

 

[Trailblazer]

Looking at another post, I became curious...

Many people study religion. Some stick with their own, others enjoy learning about the beliefs and practices of others. Do you? If you do, why?

I do not even study my own religion much anymore, let alone other religions...
Religion has never been an interest of mine, I prefer psychology. That is why I like to talk to so many people about religion and other things, I like to know what others think and believe and why they think and believe it.

 

[Mock Turtle]

Well I'm the one who voted, I don't - not in the sense that I actually study any particular one, or any. I'm obliged to know something at least about the major ones, and about many others, because they have such impacts on the lives of so many. But I still don't particularly like the influence that many have - seeing it as being more detrimental for humans than an overall benefit. But life is what it is so one has to be realistic rather than just ignoring them all.

Still more interested in psychology, sociology, and anthropology though.

 

[Altfish]

It is to understand how they influence and dictate to people and thus set policy for many countries.

 

[ChristineM]

I don't particularly study religion but i do enjoy history which inviritably includes religion driving its politics.

 

[PureX]

I'm not interested in religion. I'm interested in what and how people think about their own existence.

 

[Erebus]

1. I study my own religion to bring its richness into my life.
   
   
2. I study religion because I appreciate the cultural practice within them.
   
   
3. I study religion to help me better understand people.
   
   
4. I enjoy learning about them from a historical viewpoint.
   
   
5. I enjoy the stories or mythologies various religions bring to the table.

These were my votes. I place particular emphasis on the last two points though, particularly when it comes to polytheism. I've complained about this before but it's infuriating how my religious education in school completely skipped ancient polytheistic religions.

I would encourage anybody with even the slightest glimmer of interest to do some reading about them. I don't mean that as a proselytising tactic as I have no interest whatsoever in converting people to Paganism. I do think though that there are plenty of people who would get a lot out of them purely for their stories and the insight they provide into ancient cultures.

 

[JustGeorge]

These were my votes. I place particular emphasis on the last two points though, particularly when it comes to polytheism. I've complained about this before but it's infuriating how my religious education in school completely skipped ancient polytheistic religions.

I would encourage anybody with even the slightest glimmer of interest to do some reading about them. I don't mean that as a proselytising tactic as I have no interest whatsoever in converting people to Paganism. I do think though that there are plenty of people who would get a lot out of them purely for their stories and the insight they provide into ancient cultures.

I fully agree. I also think if it were mentioned more in schools, it might assist in building a culture of respect towards the world around us; both of our roots as human beings, and of the land itself, as so many ancient cultures respected the earth in ways we no longer do.

 

[Trailblazer]

Still more interested in psychology, sociology, and anthropology though.

Me too.