Is the World Almanac the Best Way to Study?
What is religious study? Yes, the World Almanac provides all the basic information about each religion on just one page of paper. After reading this one page of informative text, you will have all the basic information regarding each religion, including the practices, the beliefs, and the date each was founded. However, does that mean you have fulfilled the purpose of the study of religion? All you have gained from that one page of paper is just a lot of numbers and a bunch of wordy information. I think true religious study means not just knowing the details of each religion, but also trying to learn the way those believers think and feel. When you are involved in learning these things, you will truly feel the lives of believers and the impact that religion has on them.
Why is the World Almanac not the way to approach religious studies? In the World Almanac, the information is just based on a surface understanding of that religion. Knowing information does not mean learning. True religion studies have to have to do with how and why that faith was established. We also need to lean why a religion was established at a particular time, and why it became successful. A typical example is the origin of Buddhism. At the time, there were many levels of social discrimination in India. Siddharta Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, taught that “suffering” (which means desire and ignorance) afflicts everyone, regardless of social class, and the goal of faith is spiritual enlightenment. Spiritual enlightenment, in turn, is the lack of suffering. He began teaching this concept and people support ...