Why Study RE?

“No man is an island, entire of itself…”(John Donne)Why Study RE?

RE is not just about learning facts and figures.

Religion can be considered the most important influence on the lives of everyone in the world. Even if we think that we do not believe in any religion, and that it is nothing to do with us, nevertheless, it affects a great many aspects of our everyday lives, wherever we live. Religious belief has been with humanity since the very beginning. It is an attempt to explain those things for which we do not otherwise have an answer: why are we born, why do we suffer, what happens to us when we die?

Furthermore:

• In studying religious doctrines, rituals, narratives, and scriptures, we gain rich insight into the ways in which communities create, sustain and transform themselves
• As citizens in a multicultural world we enjoy unprecedented opportunities to encounter people whose religious beliefs and practices are very different from what we know. Such encounters make it all the more important that we cultivate our ability to understand and interpret what other people do and say.
• When we study religious values, beliefs, and practices we shed light on the sources of some of humankind’s most intractable problems and conflicts. Many study religion in the hope that such knowledge may assist in the human quest for peace, justice and compassion.
• The study of RE teaches one to listen attentively, speak thoughtfully, and write persuasively.

Studying RE leads to:

• an understanding of where people’s beliefs come from
• an understanding of why people view the world differently
• an examination of the fundamental questions of life
• the weighing up of different beliefs, opinions, and experiences
• the working out of one’s own views about how to live our lives
• the ability to relate the beliefs, values, and experiences of others to our own experience of life