Christianity and Religions: Christian Benefits from Studying other Religions

CHRISTIANITY AND THE RELIGIONS ESSAY
Name:
Institutional Affiliation:
Christianity and the Religions
Introduction
The element of interreligious dialogue remains a phenomenon that is practiced by Christians with the aim of meeting individuals from different religions and understanding their religious affiliations and traditions (Russo, 2016). Formally, this approach is conceived under approaches aimed at establishing the mutual understanding among different religions, thus enacting dialogue as the key interaction of mutual witnessing, presence, listening and speaking values, rituals, and commitments of each religious body.
For instance, a Christian at a workplace may be invited by a Buddhist friend for a birthday party, an aspect that would result in a dialogue between the two religions. These discussions are consequently valuable in enacting and promoting the element of a better understanding of the differences between the two religions that forms the basis of our pluralistic society (Russo, 2016). In this case, an interreligious dialogue remains a conversation between parties of different religions who respect and recognize the mutual exclusion that lie between their diverse ways of thinking in a bid to understand the differences of practices and beliefs that separate religions.
This paper, therefore, seeks to determine the manner in which Christians may benefit from the study of other religions, an aspect that will focus on Christian dialogues with other diverse religious traditions as a calling to proclaim the Gospel, an aspect that denotes the element of witnessing. On the other hand, the paper will address the aspects that Christians can learn from other religious traditions and the rationale behind the validation of religious experiences and teaching.
Christian Benefits from Studying other Religions
Religion is considered as the primary discipline that helps in determining the diverse questions that revolve around life and death in characterizing several human conditions. All people are bound to crave self-transcendence to some extent, an aspect that proves the essence of studying other religions since it provides an opportunity for Christians to understand in nuance and depth; rituals, beliefs, and practices that lead people to embrace the unconventional world of religious realities (Russo, 2016). In this case, Christians inculcate some of the unique beliefs and practices in other religions, an aspect that provides an opportunity to understand the differences in views and ideologies within different religions.
The studying of other religions by Christians remains an essential element in helping them understand the differences in practice and traditions that lie between religions, an aspect that aids in serving as better witnesses as established by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:19-20, who alleges that he has made himself a slave to everyone, with the aim of winning as many as many as possible (Russo, 2016). Paul alleges that to the Jews, he turned out as a Jew aiming to win the Jews, and to those who followed the law, he turned as one under the law in as much as he was not under the law. According to him, he purposed to do this to win those who stick to the law. In this case, the studying of other religion’s merit’s an understanding of other religions and the manner in which Christians may use this as an avenue of witnessing.
However, there are several critics who allege that Christians remain limited in scope in the understanding and knowledge of different religions. The primary argument posited by such views has some considerable philosophical ideologies since many Christians fail to understand what other religions believe, their practices and traditions (Mason, 2015). As a result of this, the aspect of judgment against other religious beliefs takes preeminence without a thorough understanding of the biases that exist between different religions.
On the other hand, the study of other religions by Christians enhances their crucial aptitudes, interpersonal awareness, communication competence, and intercultural literacy necessary in promoting...