Why Study World Religions?

Christianity in the twenty-first century cannot avoid confronting the questions posed by the diversity of religions. Since the Christian life cannot be lived in a socio-cultural nor religious vacuum, it is no longer sufficient that Bethel graduates know only what their Bible says or how to live Christian lives. They must develop the capacity to critically evaluate alternative religious traditions and worldviews, and to cultivate the skills necessary to participate fully and responsibly as Christians in religiously plural societies.
The vast majority of humankind participates in activities which have traditionally been designated "religious." Therefore, if we are to understand ourselves and one another, we need to examine this behavior.
Since religious institutions are one of the principal forms of human community, to understand human culture, politics, and social movements we also must view human experience from the perspective of these religious life forms and world views.
Conflicting values are often cited as an explanation for some of humankind's most intractable social problems. Studying religion enables us to assess the extent to which religious endeavor is implicated in humankind's greatest conflicts as well as in our most precious achievements.
Overall, the study of religion is one of the best ways to prepare for any field requiring refined sensitivity to the needs, interests, and practices of others.

Why Study World Religions at Bethel?

Although housed in Bethel's Biblical and Theological Studies Department, Bethel's Religious Studies Program draws on the resources available from a number of scholarly disciplines and thus provides students with a broad array of intellectual tools for interpreting our ever-changing world. Instruction in world religious phenomena will be conducted from the perspectives of various disciplines, including sociology, psychology, history, philosophy, and biblical and theological studies. These courses are relevant for students from every major Bethel University offers as the need for religious sensitivity is imperative in an increasingly pluralistic world. The quality of the program is strengthened by the inclusion of students from a variety of majors oriented towards many diverse career options.

Requirements & Courses of Study

The following are summarized course descriptions of new or revised courses that are included in the Religious Studies Program:

REL200E Western Religious Traditions. An introduction to religious studies. Focuses on the major Western religious traditions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, African and Native American indigenous religions), using both primary and secondary sources. Emphasis will be on their affirmations regarding ultimate reality as it relates to the meaning and purpose of human existence within their respective religious and cultural contexts.

REL205E Eastern Religious Traditions. Focuses on the major Eastern religious traditions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Shintoism, Chinese religions), using both primary and secondary sources. Emphasis will be on their affirmations regarding ultimate reality as it relates to the meaning and purpose of human existence within their respective religious and cultural contexts.

REL225F New Religious Movements. History, beliefs and practices of the major alternative religions active in America today, including Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, offshoots of Eastern religious traditions, and the New Age movement. Relationship of these movements to their parent traditions will be discussed, and comparative analyses drawn.

REL400 Seminar in the Study of Religion. Methodological studies of the origins and development of the academic study of religion, including cultural-anthropological and socio-psychological approaches, historical, philosophical, hermeneutical, phenomenological and theological perspectives to religious traditions. Includes an orientation to research tools and facilities for the study of religion as well as an examination of the integration of Christian faith with learning in religious studies.

The Minor in Religious Studies

Required Core: REL200E Western Religious Traditions; REL205E Eastern Religious Traditions; REL400 The Study of Religion; PHI305G The Philosophy of Religion; PSY225 The Psychology of Religion; SOC372G Religion and Society. Electives: choose from REL201 Religion and Art in Asia or REL354G Islam or REL356G Judaism or REL225F New Religious Movements or HIS304G African Religions or PHI375G Asian Thought or Directed, Independent Study on a Specific Religious Tradition.