Theology & Religious Studies Editing Services

Studying belief and tradition

The study of theology is essentially the study of how the rules and laws that helped codify civilisation were formed in ancient times. This includes how modern scholars have sought to interpret the intentions behind ancient scripture and reconcile their messages with the circumstance of the modern world so that the good intentions behind the message are not lost. Meanwhile, the scriptures themselves can also be examined to gain a fuller understanding of the societal, economic, and political circumstances in which they were written.

For instance, two of the three major Abrahamic religions, specifically Islam and Judaism, consider cloven-hooved animals unclean and thus unfit for consumption. There has been much conjecture as to the reason behind such a ban, the most convincing argument seems to be that as animals such as pigs lived in such filthy conditions that diseases such as botulism and conditions such as food poisoning and gastroenteritis were common after eating such food. Other food-based rules such as Catholics classifying rabbit foetuses as fish so that they could be eaten during periods of fasting (when the eating of any meat other than fish was prohibited) may have been for less socially conscious reasons, but provide an interesting glimpse of the social conditions that lead to such pronouncements and influenced the development of cuniculture in monasteries.

The correct interpretation of individual syllables has led to all out conflict in the past, so clarity in language has always been of paramount importance to religious scholars, making theology and religious studies editing services popular amongst dedicated academics.

Interpreting religious history

War is a common result of religious disagreement; The British Isles has a long history of religious persecution and both international and civil wars. Ireland remains split between the primarily Catholic independent country to the south and the primarily Protestant Northern Ireland that is a part of the United Kingdom, and the most famous English civil war was between the Catholic James I and his Cavaliers versus the Protestant Oliver Cromwell and his Roundheads. In addition, when Henry VIII created the Church of England, he carried out the Dissolution of the Monasteries to seize their assets and fund military campaigns and when Elizabeth I came to the throne as a Protestant, King Philip II of Spain formed the Spanish Armada to overthrow her and convert England to Catholicism, as he had deemed her a heretic and illegitimate ruler.

Often, religious differences can be cited to mask simpler intentions such as an attempted power grab or as a cover for tensions that arise due to animosities between people of different ethnicities.

Interpreting scripture is a difficult and complex issue; as shown by Wendland (1987), reaching various communities with disparate cultural touchstones is difficult, as it can be difficult for foreigners to understand what factors help people engage with a work and what ideas are most important in their lives. This does not even consider the potential for difficulties getting to grips with language barriers such as syntactical differences; what can seem straightforward and clear in one language will often appear as gobbledygook after a direct translation.

Theology in society

Although theology started as the specific study that seeks to understand the nature of the divine, it has since diversified to include subjects such as the comparison of religious beliefs between cultures, how religion interacts with other social institutions, philosophical examinations of the central themes and concepts espoused in religious traditions and how these influence the psychology and societies in which they propagate. It has been widely criticised as a subject by philosophers, who have contended since the fifth century BC that it is impossible to understand the nature of that which cannot be definitively proven to exist.

This is a subject in which care must be taken, as examining people’s religious beliefs can often be taken as a personal affront, thus engaging a theology and religious studies editing service is typically deemed wise to avoid any possibility that concepts can be taken out of context and used as weapons against the author. The way the Charlie Hebdo attacks led from the publication of several cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad shows both an unfortunate lack of understanding of the seriousness of the situation by the magazine staff and publishers and the level of rabid fanaticism among many malicious factions who seek to whip up controversy by twisting situations to their own benefit and spread a message of division and nativism.

It is a difficult truth that most religions have factions who see the structure and support networks as a route to personal power and wealth, and combatting such insidious and detrimental people requires supreme clarity of thought, patience, and logical consistency in addition to the ability to tell and speak out when ideas are being twisted to suit a malignant purpose. Another less violent but decidedly negative result of people taking advantage of faith has resulted in the exploitation of the religious in American churches where pastors have guilt-tripped parishioners into donating more than they can afford and then embezzled donations for personal enrichment.

Such practices have contributed to disenfranchisement with religion across much of the country and donations have fallen as a result, although donations to religious institutions still represented 32% of all charitable giving as of November 2016 (Tugend, 2016).

It becomes all the more important that the central message of religion that brings people together as communities to support one another and thus live happier lives is not lost, and this should be communicated proficiently and consistently. Theology and religious studies editing services can help scholars reach a wider audience more rapidly by both ensuring that their work meets the criteria laid out by the thesis review committee or helping them express their ideas.

References

Tugend, A. (2016). Donations to Religious Institutions Fall as Values Change The New York Times Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/06/giving/donations-to-religious-institutions-fall-as-values-change.html

Wendland, E. R. (1987). The Cultural factor in Bible Translation: A study of communicating the Word of God in a central African cultural context. United Bible Societies.