Yes. But Dr. Prothero, and Steinfel's editorial only make one side of the argumnet. Other people are religious, they seem to say, so us educated secular folks better understand enough religion that we'll be able to speak with them. That picture is condescending both of other people, and of religion itself.
Religious study is good for us, too, for our personal development as much as for the practical purpose of talking to others. Studying religion means exposing ourselves to deep questions of existence, identity, ethics, meaning and purpose not approached in other disciplines. Even philosophy, particularly in its more contemporary forms, doesn't get to these questions the way religion does. A college graduate who hasn't wrestled with those questions may be able to make sense of the world, but not much sense of their own life.
We should study religion both for insight to others, and insight to ourselves.
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