4 The importance of understanding religions

Active religious groups continue to have a substantial presence, both in the United Kingdom and in the world more generally. Diversity is both enriching and challenging. In order to effectively appreciate and manage migrants to Britain and international relations, the religious dimensions of this diversity need to be understood.

Figure 19 Sign at Heathrow Airport directing passengers to its multi-faith prayer room. Photo: Marion Bowman

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This sign has a white background. From left to right the sign contains: a black arrow pointing upwards, a black oval with an aeroplane over a kneeling person within it in white, the words ‘All departure gates’ along the top edge, with the words ‘Multi-faith prayer room’ below.

Figure 19 Sign at Heathrow Airport directing passengers to its multi-faith prayer room. Photo: Marion Bowman

Religion is often linked with membership of a particular community. It is extremely important to both individual identity and national politics. It arouses strong emotional and intellectual reactions. Individuals and groups frequently appeal to and identify with religion if asked to explain their motivations, aspirations and anxieties.

Religion is a key aspect of the social and historical experience of most people on our planet today. If we want to understand the world around us, then we need to understand religion. At the beginning of the course, we asked you to reflect on what ‘religious literacy’ meant to you and why it could be valuable.

Activity 11

Reflect again on these questions – do you now think of religion differently from how you thought of it before, after reading through this course?

Then play this short podcast in which some of the members of the Religious Studies Department of the Open University explain why they believe studying religion is important.

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Transcript

Paul-François Tremlett, Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies and Head of Department:

Religious Studies is the most exciting subject on the curriculum - bar none. And the reason for that is, we address all the complexities – the real issues that are facing our world today: terrorism, climate change, race, gender, class.

All of the key issues, problems, questions that you have about the world around you, Religious Studies addresses those - because religion is implicated in all those issues.

Suzanne Newcombe, Lecturer in Religious Studies:

Our society is really complicated. What you learn in Religious Studies is how to use the best tools to answer whatever question you have. We use the tools of history, we use the tools of sociology, we use the tools of folklore, we use the tools of anthropology.

Religious Studies is a discipline which offers you a variety of tools to bring to whatever questions you have at hand – understanding how to relate to others better, how to think critically, write articulately, and to position yourself so that you can make a meaningful contribution to debates which are often on controversial subjects.

Stefanie Sinclair, Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies:

It’s all about finding out about more about how people make sense of the world. How they make sense of their own lives and those of others and of the world around them. In the Open University, it is particularly great because we are working with students from so many different backgrounds. I think in Religious Studies that works really well and if people have life experience they can bring quite a lot to their studies as well – quite often much more than they think they do.

David Robertson, Lecturer in Religious Studies:

Studying religion is a great way into seeing through the things we take for granted about our society and thinking about why we do certain things. Why certain rituals or beliefs or practices happen – in our own society as well as in other people’s.

Paul-François Tremlett, Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies and Head of Department:

Allow your mind to be open to the world around you. Study with us.

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