Comparative Religion

The discipline of comparative religion is a field that studies the practice and evolution of religion. There is little emphasis placed on the personal practice of religion, nor is there any pressure to follow a particular religion. I must say that this is one of the finest courses offered by the ULC Seminary and I would very highly recommend it to anyone seeking a greater understanding of the abstract practice and the functional phenomenon of religion.

Rev. Kythera Ann takes a very mature and exceptionally delicate approach to what could be a very volatile subject and provides an exceptional amount of information in a manner that allows to student to observe and analyze not only the information about world religions, but also their how own beliefs and belief system came into being, in both an academic and personal manner, allowing for the individual to develop a greater sense of what their own beliefs really are, and how they practice their chosen religion.

I gained a much greater understanding of the active exercise of religion and how religion is practiced both historically and world-wide. The instructor’s ability to collect, analyze and connect related themes from diverse religions, times and cultures; and then present these concepts in a manner that does not offend, is quite impressive. I looked forward to the many links and other ancillary information the instructor provided for me to examine and consider and I actively studied and researched as much as possible to gain a greater understanding of both the concepts she presented in her discourses and the underlying themes that connected these sometimes disparate-seeming concepts.

Although the amount of work required is difficult to coordinate into an already overburdened schedule, it is well worth the effort – I went with less sleep, was late for work, missed meals and still felt rewarded and satisfied, knowing that I was being provided an excellent education on a topic that has been my interest for many years.

Rev. Kythera Ann’s discourses on sacred space and place were a marvelous overview of what makes a particular location important to a religion. The opportunity to examine maps, numerous images, extensive links and thoughtful descriptions really opened up the concept of ‘holy place’ for me, allowing me the opportunity to more fully develop my own sense of what is sacred space.

Regretfully, the only way I can suggest to make this course any better would be to have it occur in real-time – this would allow for students to actively engage in discussion about the finer points of the discourses. But, with the hectic schedules that many of us have, the luxury of logging on to an live e-course regularly is just not feasible. I believe that the ULC Seminary message boards will have to remain the compromise solution on this.

I would gladly take other courses from this instructor and would strongly recommend that others do so as well. I cannot state strongly enough how through, sensitive and well presented this course was. Without reservations, I would recommend this course to everyone within the ULC Seminary.

Douglas Grant

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.