Wisdom from The Action Wisdom In Action

the same as teaching religion. To teach about religion is to study the religions of the world in a manner that is comparative, factual, and fair-minded, and that avoids any hint of faculty or students trying to persuade other faculty or students to subscribe to this or that religious (or non-religious or anti-religious) belief-system. To teach religion, on the other hand, is a rhetorical exercise that attempts to persuade students to believe (or not) in a particular religion or system of ideas. To teach about religion, then, is strictly and most importantly an educational effort that aims to give students ready access to the rich and exciting world of different philosophies, mythologies, moral-systems, and ritual practices that makes the deep understanding of world cultures such a stimulating subject of intellectual interest. Teaching about religion and teaching religion, therefore, are two different and, in their essential aspects, opposing efforts.