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What might be the benefits of studying religious faiths different from your own?
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The following is Apostle Peter’s admonition to us who believe in Christ, “1 Peter 3:15-16
but treat the Messiah as holy, as Lord in your hearts;while remaining always ready to give a reasoned answer to anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you—yet with humility and fear, keeping your conscience clear, so that when you are spoken against, those who abuse the good behavior flowing from your union with the Messiah may be put to shame.” I need to know what the other religions espouse so that I may how to respond in light of my faith in Christ -
Greater familiarity with the worldview of others creates greater understanding and improves the effectiveness of communication.
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I live in a multicultural country where we are very concerned about racial harmony. Knowing others’ religions helps you live in peace with them and not do blatantly offensive things like munching on pork during a feast with Muslims.
For the purpose of evangelism, it also helps to show interest in and have some unbiased knowledge of the person’s religion, before you can expect him to show interest in and be open to your religion. -
Living in a multi-cultural, and mlti-ethnic society, where it is highly likely that there will be interpersoanl relationships with people of a different faith to mine, I think it is both sensible, and respectful to have a basic working knowledge of these different beliefs. It is also essnential in order to build meaningful relational links with people of different faiths.
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The major benefits are being equipped with good knowledge of those religion and thereby making witnessing easier and from an informed point of view.