Comparative Theology Essay

2. What is comparative theology? How can various religions benefit from comparative theology? What is the difference between comparative theology, comparative religion, and philosophy of religion? How are the goals and questions different in these three different fields of thought? Comparative theology is the practice of learning about other religions which in return may lead to many results about one’s own religion practices. Its purpose is “to learn from a different religion tradition in enough depth and specificity to shine significant new light on your own” (Makransky 119). Various religions can benefit from comparative theology because by understanding a different religion, one may be able to deepen their own practices. They may come

This condition simply means that one should stay humble when examining other faiths. The second condition acknowledges fidelity to one’s own religion. In the sense that new evidence is uncovered that may encourage a conversion, one must question their own beliefs. The third condition states that if there “is enough common ground between Buddhism and Christianity that it is possible to hear things from Christians that make a positive difference for Buddhists in their own understanding and practice of awakening”(Makransky). In a lecture from Professor Elizabeth Farnsworth, comparative theology, comparative religion, and the philosophy of religion were separately defined and compared in order to spot differences between them. Comparative theology is “the study of religious studies or the systematic comparison of religious traditions or the systematic comparison of religious teachings and practices” (Farnsworth). Comparative theology is considered to be an outsiders approach to understanding a type of religion rather than seeking information to gain personal insight. In contrast, comparative theology looks intensely into

As Matthew 25:34 says, “what you do for the least among you, you do for Jesus”. Dorothy Day worked diligently for those with no more than the clothes on on their backs. She provided them shelter in her home, a warm meal to eat, and her compassionate love. In the movie, Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story, Dorothy desperately searches meal after meal for money to provide food for the homeless that line up outside of her door. Several times, Dorothy prays to God asking if this is her calling. Dorothy Day lived the example that was stated in the Economic Justice for All pastoral letter which says that “the obligation to provide justice for all means that the poor have the single most urgent economic claim on the conscience of the nation.” Day demonstrated her dedication when she began her newspaper called The Catholic Worker. Her newspapers would sell to hundreds of subscribers and in return she would use the collected money to help the homeless. She built relationships with those who were incapable of providing for themselves due to various different issues and stood up for them when she was tested by the bishop of her diocese who questioned her motives for her program. Dorothy Day’s works relate to theological anthropology because this form of anthropology is concerned entirely with the relationship between the human person and God, just like Dorothy Day focused on