Study of Religion Increasingly Important in Today's World

There is an increase of interest on many campuses today in religious and moral values and how these affect contemporary problems in society. Religion as an influence has not disappeared in our secular culture but continues, for better or for worse, to impact on American public life and in global society.

Knowing something about different religions also is becoming increasingly more important for the understanding of foreign cultures and global affairs. Belief systems still provide strong motivations for behavior throughout the world today, both for justice and for violence.

Students also are trying to sort out their own personal values while in college independent from, but not necessarily hostile to, traditional influences of family and church/synagogue/mosque.

For all of these reasons, religion and religious ethics are important subjects in a liberal arts curriculum. They provide a wider perspective to appreciate customs and behavior in diverse cultures, and offer meaningful frameworks which stimulate students to deepen their own personal value commitments.

Brian Smith
Chair

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