I am continually surprised that many people, even colleagues in other disciplines, do not know what we do in religious studies - or even why we should study religion at a state university.
The comparative, historical, and cultural study of religion is an integral part of the liberal arts curriculum at most flagship universities in the United States. Religion needs to be studied, if for no other reason than its enormous influence in events that capture the headlines almost every day. In today's world an educated person cannot be ignorant of religion!
Neither can an educated person be ignorant of the basic facts of the world's religions, their similarities and differences, and of the diverse ways that religious people believe and practice - doing good and, regrettably, sometimes doing harm. Where better to study religion than in the academic setting of a state university?
In the department of religious studies, we teach students about the different religions and endeavor to guide students to a critical understanding of their own - for those who identify with a particular religion. The critical component is especially important, as we want students to be able to assess the good and the bad in the expressions of religion that flood our lives every day.
To ask whether a state university should have a department of religious studies, is to ask whether a university should study an important aspect of individual, social, cultural, and political life. The answer is an unequivocal "yes!"
