Religious History

It may seem silly to those who don’t have a religion, or even offensive to the devout, but religious history should be a required study in American Schools. In depth studies on the early religions of Sumer and Babylon as well as comprehensive understanding of the early Roman church fathers like Jerome, and their role in bible scripture should be understood by anyone who desires to be educated.

The days of magic and mystics are behind us, and there is no longer a reason or a will to keep the secrets that many people throughout the ages have died to reveal. Secrets that bring into question the validity of all organized religion. Who was Jerome? Why did he rewrite parts of scripture? What was the Hebrew Gospel of Matthew? What happened to it? Was Abraham a scientist? All these questions and their answers must be put to the newest generation of minds, to pull at the threads of the fabric of collective societies in order to discover the true nature of religion and spirituality in a clinical and unbiased classroom environment.

People cannot form educated opinions if they don’t have all the facts. Facts are imperative to religious discourse for the same reason they are imperative to science. It’s not as if the knowledge of historical religious movements has dampened the faith of all who learn it. For some, it merely strengthens their faith.Non-believers should embrace this opportunity as well. Religious history is a part of world and human history. Understanding the nature of the inquisition is integral to understanding the history of the legal system, Constantine, and his role in Christianity, as well as the individual intentions of the participants at the council at Nicaea, should, without question, be as commonly known as any other prominent historic factor affecting modern American culture.

Religious History is the missing subject, that fills in the blanks and pulls the story of human existence together. It is the dark closet in a strange house. We must, as a society, shine the light on religious events that literally dictated societal norms, for generations, for millenia. A healthy understanding of the history of the religions of men, will offer a reflection in time of Human development and Mental/Cerebral Evolution.  Without the study of this precious history of the deep psyche of not only the powerful, but also the weaker populace, as well as the exploits of both, there can be no proper historical perspective when considering the human condition, and how it has influenced our culture.