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'''Religious studies''' is the [[academia|academic]] field of multi-disciplinary, [[secular]] study of [[religion|religious]] beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically-based, and cross-cultural perspectives.

'''Religious studies''' is the [[academia|academic]] field of multi-disciplinary, [[secular]] study of [[religion|religious]] beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically-based, and cross-cultural perspectives.

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Spirituality becomes at once the indicator of one's nearness to God and the measure of one's usefulness to fellow beings. Spirituality enhances the ability to discover beauty in things, recognize truth in meanings, and discover goodness in values. Spiritual development is determined by capacity therefor and is directly proportional to the elimination of the selfish qualities of love.

[[Spirituality]] becomes at once the indicator of one's nearness to God and the measure of one's usefulness to fellow beings. Spirituality enhances the ability to discover [[beauty]] in [[things]], recognize [[truth]] in [[meanings]], and discover [[goodness]] in [[values]]. Spiritual development is determined by capacity therefor and is directly proportional to the elimination of the selfish qualities of [[love]].

True religion is not a system of philosophic belief which can be reasoned out and substantiated by natural proofs, neither is it a fantastic and mystic experience of indescribable feelings of ecstasy which can be enjoyed only by the romantic devotees of mysticism. Religion is not the product of reason, but viewed from within, it is altogether reasonable. Religion is not derived from the logic of human philosophy, but as a mortal experience it is altogether logical. Religion is the experiencing of divinity in the consciousness of a moral being of evolutionary origin; it represents true experience with eternal realities in time, the realization of spiritual satisfactions while yet in the flesh.

Religion has to do with [[feeling]], acting, and living, not merely with [[thinking]]. Thinking is more closely related to the [[material]] life and should be in the main, but not altogether, dominated by [[reason]] and the [[facts]] of [[science]] and, in its nonmaterial reaches toward the [[spirit]] realms, by truth. No matter how [[illusion|illusory]] and erroneous one's [[theology]], one's religion may be wholly genuine and everlastingly true.