Chapter 1 Intro to Religious studies (1)

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Morgan State University *

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201

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Religion

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Jan 9, 2024

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docx

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What do you think will be the most difficult task in the study of religion? - What I think the most difficult task in the study of religion will be the separation of what I was taught in church, what I've learned/ studied on my own or from friends, and what is being taught/ learned from a scholarly standpoint as opposed to from a theological standpoint. For example, pulling from our discussion on the first day of class, I was always taught by my family and church leaders, that the reason Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden of Eden was because they disobeyed God when they were told not to eat of the tree of knowledge and did so anyway. However, I now know it was because eating of the tree of knowledge made them all knowing or gave them the ability to have extreme knowledge akin to that of God or the devil, and because they were yet to have eaten from the tree of life, which they were permitted to do, the were cast out of the garden to prevent them from becoming like gods. Additionally, I think that understanding separate definitions for the same words will end up being a difficult task. I was always taught in church that the saying "God is a jealous God" was referring to one of the ten commandments "Thou shall have no other gods before me" as in do not worship false idols. Now with the understanding that I gained from the first class, I can say that "jealous God" also refers to the possibility that God wants no one to be like him, being all knowing and immortal. What is your greatest hope in the study of religion? - My greatest hope regarding the study of religion is that it helps me to come to terms and understanding of my own religious beliefs. With the fact that the bible can be interpreted so many different ways and that many times, I was taught from someone else's understanding, which in turn shaped what I believed and understood from the bible. Because of this, I have begun to remain spiritual but become less religious. I'd think that what I hope I gain from the study of religion is to gain my own understanding, not only of christianity, but the other religions around me and grow to learn a) why christianity demonizes so many of the other religions in existence, b) more about the other religions in the world in general, and c) to be able to look inside and see if i am growing in my religious beliefs, changing in them, or losing them entirely. Overall, I think that my greatest hope is that I gain a better knowledge of biblical texts and stories in order to better determine what as a christian I and to fully understand and believe as fact, and what is more meant to be purely for thought. What might be encouraging or rewarding about the practice or study of religion? - To answer this question, I am first going to break it down between practicing religion, and studying religion. I think what could be encouraging or rewarding about the practice of religion is the fact that it could give people a "purpose", a support group, source of connection, a sense of belief, an opportunity of self- reflection and reflection of that which is ministered to you, or even the hope of understanding what happens after death. As for the study of religion, what I think

could be encouraging or rewarding about it, especially in terms of christianity, it could help you to you to understand what you are taught from both a "practicing" standpoint and a "studying" standpoint. What I mean by this is that by knowing what the biblical stories "actually" mean verses what is being taught which may not always be fully correct. This is not to say that the practice or study of religion does not have its downfalls. The practice of religion, depending on where it is being taught, could also lead to the feeling of hopelessness, and uselessness, and outright depression if you begin to think about what is actually being taught or is what is being practiced could end up coming back as harm.

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