What is the Difference Between Theology and Religious Studies?

Theologans - studies the religion Religious studies - studies people who are religous

As a non-american, the idea of someone starting a conversation with you just because you're sitting next to them on the airplane is really weird

Love his eyebrows. They are alive 👌

Person on plane: So what do you do for a living? Andrew: takes HUGE breath

I tend to say that I study religions (plural) to avoid the assumption that my studies are theological.

Very well said. I just discovered your channel. I am a religious studies educator and for fourteen years, my department at a catholic high school called itself religious studies, yet in practice was theology (or more specifically catechism. This led to a lot of confusion about our mission as a department. As a graduate with a religious studies degree from college, I couldn't understand why I wasn't allowed to actually teach religious studies in my department that was called religious studies. I now teach at the college that I graduated from and it's very liberating to actually be able to teach religious studies!

The YouTube algorithm gave me an ad for a preacher who said “all religions are the same even Buddha bows down to Jesus” And I am like what.

Thank you for sharing this discussion with the difference between theology and religious studies

Really valuable insight that many neglect. Greetings to all seekers.

Thank you so much for making this video! I will refer people to it in the future!

Another great video! Suggestion: On the airplane, you could introduce yourself as a sociologist or professor. If the question is pushed further, you could elaborate that you focus on examining the 'history' of world religions. 'History' is easily digestible and benign enough to not threaten, and 'world' signals that you aren't picking on any one religion, but rather that you perform your work across the entire board. That way, there's no worry that your seat-mate could get triggered or threatened that you might be judging their religion. I've noticed that the most sensitive of religious people hold the position of zero-sum game. So by examine all religions equally, they would be appeased that you aren't judging their team while letting the other teams off the hook. Good luck!

I just found out about this channel yesterday and I'm really enjoying it. I couldn't help but laugh about your airplane example. I'm a children's pastor and as soon as I say that in a random conversation things get interesting. People get quiet a lot. They also like to apologize as if I above certain conversations. I find it humorous. Still a person even if I'm clergy. I also get the questioners too. I liked the discussion about theology vrs religious studies. It reminded me a lot of my collegiate education.

Great info that answered many of my questions as I am currently looking to pursue a Masters in religious studies. Thank you!

This distinction was very confusing to me when I went overseas for university. Ended up switching from Religious Studies to a Divinity degree, which in practice for me ended up being 'Late Antique textual studies on texts with Christian theological themes', followed up by another degree on Renaissance demonological texts that somehow got classified as 'Classics'. What a world.

When I first started college, I wanted to major in Anthropology. My emotional levels in high school and now may lead me out of a pure academic field, but i'm glad you pointed the difference between theology and religious studies. One seems to be more about the feeling and spiritual nature of religion, and it is not purely Christian. The other is more about the way points of the christian sphere it self.

You study early Christian magic. So you're a wizard, then?

Really interesting! I study theology in the university of Helsinki and in Finland the distinction between the two fields is really different from what you explained. We have systematic theology for the more "theological" questions, but pretty much everything else would be the kind of religious studies that you describe. Even our exegetics classes are more about history and literature (even cognitive science and sociology) than answering questions about God. We do have comparative religion as a different field, but the distinction is more about which religions you are focusing on (theology focusing on Christianity and comparative religion on everything else). I wonder if this is just a Finnish thing or if Europe in general has this kind of system? Great video, though! I'm really glad I found your channel.

The name of my uni course was "The Study of the Religions of Africa and Asia" which I really liked. All the art and archaeology courses counted as religion units too which was pretty cool. I found the religion department much more respectful of the people and beliefs that it studied than the anthropology department that I was also part of.

Simple summary for guy on air plane: I study religion as cultural phenomena.

Thank you You're great at explaining the unexplainable Good work