Theology

Theology is the study of religion, god or gods from a religious rather than secular perspective. It is an academic discipline which is studied at many universities and other institutes of higher education. Theology differs from religious studies greatly, as theology focuses on an attempt to understand god, whilst religious studies is a purely academic and secular study of religion and religious practices rather than the academic understanding of a particular religion, which is the focus of theology. The comparison between religious studies and theology was once summarised by a theologian who claimed that one can develop an understanding of a piece of music through careful analysis and study, but listening to it is of much greater significance.

Those involved in the practice of theology tend towards being religious themselves, as it is not possible to have a full comprehension and appreciation of the topics involved in theology when approached from a secular perspective. Many people who study and attain degrees in theology will often find themselves pursuing a career in the clergy.

There are many offshoots from theology, liberation theology being a widely recognised form of theological thought. A great deal of emphasis is place upon bringing justice to those who are poor and oppressed and it is a particularly popular school of theology in Latin America, where many people, frequently Roman Catholics are extremely oppressed by their governments. Liberation theology also makes particular use of political theories, primarily Marxism to achieve it’s goals.