What value do you see in studying theology in concerns to Christianity?

[Chad32]

I have no problem with studying theology. Honestly, if there was a class in school that took an objective stance on all religions, and taught kids about all the mythologies and such, they'd find that Christianity isn't all that different from other older religions. However, I realize that when Christians say they want the bible back in schools, it's with the belief that it will be taught as Holy Scripture, instead of there being lessons on "How many mythological figures have Jesus-like qualities, but are older than Christianity?"

I’d be all for that course. I do wonder how such class would handle anthropological works like Rene Girards Violence and the Sacred, that explores sacrifice mythologies. The problem with such works is that they indicate a distinct aspects of the Christian myth that separates it from earlier mythologies. In early mythologies the  guilt of the mob, and the people who put the victim to death is concealed, along with innocence of the victim, operating in the way scapegoating psychology works.

While the Christian myth flips this on its head, exposing the guilt of the mob, and the innocence of the victim, it’s an anti-scapegoating myth.

Such works, are favorable to Christianity, but I wonder how people would feel if they’re child was in a course that might inadvertently favor one particular religious view over other the other.

It’s also unlikely that teachers personal beliefs don’t leak out unto the course, if teachers hold a naturalistic view of religion that might inadvertently favor one religion over the other, or even favor religion over non-religion, and that influences non-religious children to consider being religious, I would think it could be problematic?

I think  many atheists think that a naturalistic account of religion favors disbelief, but that’s only because many of them have half-backed naturalistic explanations for it, where religion is treated like a proto-science, but as I see it, the effect of sound naturalistic account undermines disbelief.

I'm not sure how Jesus' sacrifice is anti scapegoating. The crimes of the guilty are passed onto an innocent sacrifice, because people think murdering the innocent will absolve them of sins. I thought that was the whole point of scapegoating.