Religion as a Package

During class on Monday, the discussion on how Religious Studies differs from theology really interested me. As Professor Smith mentioned, the impression of this area of study to the general public might reflect the theological aspects pertaining to certain religions or what particular religious groups believe. Theology is defined as the study of the nature of God and religious truth. The theological aspects of all religions differ in many respects. Christians believe in Jesus Christ as the son of God and follow the Bible as their sacred text, while Muslims believe God as the One and Only, i.e. He does not have any relations, and follow the Holy Quran as their sacred text. These are just a couple of differences in the theological aspects of two religions so one can imagine the difficulty associated with comparing the theological aspects of all the major religions around the world. I believe it is more important to understand the basic underlying structure or framework that is common in the establishment of several religions. The features that make up the ‘package’ of religion are very similar in nature, while the theology associated with each religion might be thought of as the different patterns on the wrapping paper used to cover the package.

Factors that contribute to the establishment of religions are quite similar across a variety of religions but the doctrines or dogmas are unique attributes developed by specific religions differ greatly. The questions of why or how religion is established can be explained by looking at the contents of the ‘package’ of religion. Some common features that are vital to the founding of religions are the historical background, symbols, rituals and beliefs. The different patterns on the wrapping paper used to cover the “package” are the theological aspects developed by each religion to provide an explanation for the abstract. Essentially, the different patterns on the wrapping paper provide a different perspective on what individual religious groups believe. It is important not to get too focused on the outside of the “package” by looking too closely at the theology associated with different religions. Instead, one can obtain a better understanding of the “big picture” religion by carefully examining the contents of the package.