Religion — whether we like it or not — affects us every day. Although it may be passive in some contexts, the media we consume, the businesses we support and the organizations we’re a part of are all influenced by religion, and because of this we should make an effort to better understand religion as a pillar of society.

Jason Bivins, who has been a religious studies professor at NC State since 2000, recognizes the impact of religion in day-to-day activities. He referenced religion’s ongoing influence on pop culture, sports and politics.

“There has never been a period in human history that we know of where religion hasn’t played some fundamental role,” Bivins said. “Religious people and non-religious people have equal amounts to learn from our classes.”

From abortion and healthcare to war, public policy is often based on people’s perspectives regarding inherently religious principles. Although the First Amendment prevents the government from establishing a national religion, the individual beliefs of politicians and the average American contribute to what they advocate for and, most importantly, how they vote.

Despite this, Americans seem to know an alarmingly small amount about religion. According to a study by the Pew Research Center, religious literacy rates sat at an average of 50% when participants were asked questions about world religions. Notably, participants who had taken a college-level religions class scored better overall.

Since the eighteenth century, America has been referred to as a “melting pot” of different ethnicities and cultures. Although the majority of our country identifies as Christian, there are significant Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu populations, in addition to members of other world religions and those who are unaffiliated.

It’s our responsibility to be well-informed about these belief systems, whether we agree or disagree with them, because we encounter people of different backgrounds every day.

“One of the things that does distinguish the United States from other democracies is the level of religious pluralism,” Bivins said. “Part of the college education is getting people ready to live well in that context.”

Jason Staples, another professor within NC State’s Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, spoke similarly.

“It’s absolutely imperative that well-educated citizens in the United States should know how people think who are coming from different religious perspectives and different perspectives than their own,” Staples said.

A common misconception about religious studies classes is that they try to force religion on students. In reality, the classes are objective attempts to understand people’s beliefs.

“We’re not trying to convert people to a specific religious perspective,” Staples said. “We’re trying to help people understand how these things function and what different groups believe and do.”

The courses also provide an outlet for healthy discourse. Bivins called the classroom the laboratory for democratic life, referencing how students in his classes come from various backgrounds. Many religious studies courses are discussion-based classes, which teach students how to respectfully react to differing opinions. With America becoming increasingly politically polarized, this is something everyone needs to learn for our country’s sake.

Although the content may feel unimportant to students pursuing degrees in subjects like the sciences or business management, the material and style of learning within religious studies incorporates many disciplines into one field, making the classes relevant to all majors.

“Religious studies is ultimately all about studying what makes us uniquely human,” Staples said. “It combines sociology and anthropology and history and literature and all of those things in the study of what sits at the very heart of how people and groups of people find meaning in the world.”

Aside from our responsibility to society, classes about religion are important at the individual level.

Staples referenced the rising trends of anxiety and depression, especially in people under the age of 30. Research released last year from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that almost one in five adults in the United States report a depression diagnosis, with people aged 18-24 having the highest rates.

“I think a lot of that often ties to a sense of a lack of meaning,” Staples said, adding that, in religious studies courses, there’s frequent discussion of what gives life purpose.

These classes won’t miraculously answer all life’s questions, but they’re certainly a starting point in helping understand things we’ve all wondered at one point or another: Where did we come from and why are we here?

“These are the biggest questions of life,” Bivins said. “What’s more college than that?”