Understanding the Role of Religion in Building up Sustainable Existence: Issue and Challenges

As a student of religion, I am constantly engaged with different levels of students to inculcate in them the need for the study of religion with all its implications for life, since the inception of my theological education. The need for clarity on different methods and the tools used in different methods of research for the systematic study of religion among emerging Indian scholars is the compelling spirit behind my endeavors. This has, thus far, taken me through the serious academic and to some extent practical, engagement in exploring the possibilities of understanding religion in relation to other religions including my own. It was never a smooth sailing - I was dogged by controversies, differing viewpoints and even failures. Another dimension that unfolded in the process of study and relation is the interrelatedness of religion and politics and the fear that religion, with all its integrative and disintegrative nature may succumb to serve overwhelmingly political ends. The fact however, remains that these developments have neither incited a decline in the interest on the life and work of Jesus Christ nor drastically drew away from my faith life. This work is a testimony to that stand.

1. In this chapter, I make an overview of the purposes/objectives of the study of religions in theological institutions and then try to assess whether these are satisfactorily addressed in the new curriculum of the Senate-2010.
2. This chapter explores the various factors and persons that were responsible for the establishment of the department of Science of Religion with special reference to the contributions of Max Muller who was called the Father of Comparative Religion. The first part of the paper focuses on the factors surrounding religions and the second part considers the early founders. And the third part concentrates on the contributions of Max Muller.
3. This chapter is an attempt to evaluate the origin and development of the scientific study of religion and to highlight the common issues in studying religion and their implications for the Indian context, in four parts. The first part is an exploration into the various factors, which were responsible for the emergence of the science of religion, with special reference to the contributions of Max Muller. The second part is an evaluation of the major methods used for the scientific study of religion. The third part examines the main issues emerging from different methods. And the fourth part is an attempt to examine the possibilities for an appropriate Indian approach to the study of religion.