Comparative Religion

Comparative Religion

Course by Rev.  Kythera Ann

Essay by Rev. Mary McGar

            I thoroughly enjoyed this course.  I gained far more knowledge and understanding of religious terminology, history, concepts, titles, sacred instruments, etc. from this course than I had expected.  It would be easy to devote the entire essay to what I have learned and still only barely touch the surface.  While I certainly can't remember all the material presented I now have a useful, detailed reference book constructed so that a particular topic can be easily and quickly located.  I learned that many religions have commonalities even though geographically separated by vast distance or separated by centuries in their development.  I gained a better understanding of what various religious groups believe which also often explains why their followers behave in certain ways.  The multitude of symbolism used by various faiths was extremely interesting to me and I believe will be very useful to me in my future volunteer work as a Chaplain.  Using esoteric and exoteric terminology is an interesting method of sorting world religions, even though no religion is purely one or the other, enabling a student to better understand them.  The flowchart depicting the evolutionary history of different religions was extremely helpful.  The sociological fact that most people throughout history, regardless of geographical location, race, ethnic identity and material development have carried a belief in some type of higher power or natural order and that structures for those beliefs have benefited them in areas of security, community identification, behavioral guidance, common values, inspiration, gratitude and hope was re-instilled in me during this course.  I intend to continue to study the lessons and each subsequent review of this course material will continue to increase my knowledge of religion.

            The immense scope and in-depth treatment of topics in this course greatly impressed me.  The way in which it is formatted flows logically and the graphics are beautiful and memorable.  The course treats each religion with balanced respect and without a discernible bias.  There are so many aspects I truly liked in this course it is difficult to choose a particular favorite portion.  However, one of the most interesting lessons to me was Lesson Twenty and, especially, the flowchart of the origins and evolutionary paths of religions.  Presenting the information in such a concise, structured manner is beneficial to the student, in my opinion.   I enjoyed learning of Pagan religions as I knew very little about them, and much to my surprise, held many misconceptions regarding even the definition of Pagan.  I also especially enjoyed the lessons on mysticism and spirits as those topics are not always covered in traditional religion courses and are a part of my religious beliefs.  Most of all, the course caused me to reassess religion in both general terms and on a personal level.   I discovered that my own beliefs consist of a combination of pieces of several very different belief systems; some ancient, some contemporary, some traditional and also include some pagan beliefs.  In realizing this and by developing a greater understanding of both my own beliefs and of those religions from whence they developed, my beliefs have been strengthened and my perspective on religion in general is now more inclusive.  This broader and more inclusive knowledge and attitude will assist me in becoming a better Chaplain.

            There is nothing that I disliked regarding the course as I think it is one of the most interesting courses I have ever taken.  However, I do feel it would have been helpful, at least to me, to have split some of the more detailed and longer lessons into two lessons even though the course would have lasted for more than twenty weeks.  Had those lessons, which were complex and often filled with terminology unfamiliar to me, been shorter I would have been able to better absorb the new information.  Again, there is nothing I disliked; I just would have preferred a greater number of  lessons.

  

            The only suggestion I have for improvement or change in the course (and it might be covered in a, hopefully, upcoming Comparative Religion, Part Two Course) is to incorporate more  information on the differences in some Protestant denominations and sects.  While there are many similarities among them there are also many specific and, often, irreconcilable differences, in the beliefs of, for instance: Presbyterian and Jehovah's Witnesses, Baptist and Scientology, Christian Science and Methodist, Unity and Unitarian Universalist and many others.   It would be interesting to me to have more knowledge in that area and, where possible, to learn why the differences may have occurred in addition to having a list of the similarities. 

In conclusion,  because I enjoyed this course so immensely I am indeed looking forward to taking other courses by Rev. Kythera Ann. 

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