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My oldest daughter is college shopping. We're strongly considering Saint Louis University, a Jesuit school.

Though my daughter will not be a theology major, I'm intrigued by the variety of courses available in that area of study. Undergraduate degrees offered include Christian Intellectual Tradition, Theological Studies, and Global and Local Social Justice. Courses include Feminist Theology, Theology of Nature, Studies in Jewish Scripture and on and on and etc.

I'm not one who is critical of BYU as a university, in general. It's undoubtedly a fine school. I do wonder why they don't offer more courses on theology or church history, though. BYU is a religious institution, but as far as I know, it offers no degrees related to theology at all. Certainly I may be wrong, and am open to correction.

If it is so that BYU offers no theology or religious studies degree, why does it not?

KA

KimberlyAnn wrote:My oldest daughter is college shopping. We're strongly considering Saint Louis University, a Jesuit school.

Though my daughter will not be a theology major, I'm intrigued by the variety of courses available in that area of study. Undergraduate degrees offered include Christian Intellectual Tradition, Theological Studies, and Global and Local Social Justice. Courses include Feminist Theology, Theology of Nature, Studies in Jewish Scripture and on and on and etc.

I'm not one who is critical of BYU as a university, in general. It's undoubtedly a fine school. I do wonder why they don't offer more courses on theology or church history, though. BYU is a religious institution, but as far as I know, it offers no degrees related to theology at all. Certainly I may be wrong, and am open to correction.

If it is so that BYU offers no theology or religious studies degree, why does it not?

KA

Short answer: there is no professional clergy, so there's nothing in the church you can do with a theology degree. And of course, there's the whole "philosophies of men" thing too.

From my experience, BYU is designed to build a core of married believers who will staff and fund the church going forward. Degrees offered thus tend to be more of the "practical" side (well, I'm one to talk, being an English major) and certainly a religious or theology degree wouldn't be practical for a Latter-day Saint.

Runtu wrote:

KimberlyAnn wrote:My oldest daughter is college shopping. We're strongly considering Saint Louis University, a Jesuit school.

Though my daughter will not be a theology major, I'm intrigued by the variety of courses available in that area of study. Undergraduate degrees offered include Christian Intellectual Tradition, Theological Studies, and Global and Local Social Justice. Courses include Feminist Theology, Theology of Nature, Studies in Jewish Scripture and on and on and etc.

I'm not one who is critical of BYU as a university, in general. It's undoubtedly a fine school. I do wonder why they don't offer more courses on theology or church history, though. BYU is a religious institution, but as far as I know, it offers no degrees related to theology at all. Certainly I may be wrong, and am open to correction.

If it is so that BYU offers no theology or religious studies degree, why does it not?

KA

Short answer: there is no professional clergy, so there's nothing in the church you can do with a theology degree.

[...]

Umm ... I don't think that answer (though I have heard it on more than one occasion) will really cut the mustard as a reason for what most people will find the strange absence of a degree in theology or religious studies from a major religious university.

Have a look, for instance, at the website of the Faculty of Theology in the University of Oxford.

If you follow the link 'What on Earth can you do with a degree in Theology? ' on that page, you will find yourself reading a document that includes the information that:

Of the eighty or so undergraduates who leave each year with first degrees in Theology or Philosophy and Theology, about six eventually enter the church (women as well as men) and a similar number train as teachers or work in higher education...

- the rest, we are told, go into a very wide variety of interesting careers for which their demanding intellectual training is evidently thought to equip them quite well. So, why wouldn't a BYU degree in (presumably Mormon-based) theology do something of the same kind?

Maybe the CoJCoLDS positively does not want anyone not called to a church leadership position to have any claim to expertise in doctrinal matters? Could be ...

One could easily create a solid “Theology” degree at BYU, mixing and matching classes out of the Philosophy and Classics departments. The only downside is one wouldn’t get much in the way of theology that is more specific to LDS beliefs, and even more hindering, no training in Pastoral theology.

But I don’t think BYU and a Jesuit schools a fair comparison, given the history and mission of the Jesuits, BYU was not founded as a seminary like Yale, Princeton, Harvard, Norte Dame, etc, etc.

MrStakhanovite wrote:But I don’t think BYU and a Jesuit schools a fair comparison, given the history and mission of the Jesuits, BYU was not founded as a seminary like Yale, Princeton, Harvard, Notre Dame, etc, etc.

BYU was founded as a way for LDS to get an education without losing their faith. Given that LDS see literature, history, psychology, etc, differently, that takes very careful and specific educational planning. That is demanding enough, without adding theology to it.

Chap wrote:Umm ... I don't think that answer (though I have heard it on more than one occasion) will really cut the mustard as a reason for what most people will find the strange absence of a degree in theology or religious studies from a major religious university.

Have a look, for instance, at the website of the Faculty of Theology in the University of Oxford.

If you follow the link 'What on Earth can you do with a degree in Theology? ' on that page, you will find yourself reading a document that includes the information that:

Of the eighty or so undergraduates who leave each year with first degrees in Theology or Philosophy and Theology, about six eventually enter the church (women as well as men) and a similar number train as teachers or work in higher education...

- the rest, we are told, go into a very wide variety of interesting careers for which their demanding intellectual training is evidently thought to equip them quite well. So, why wouldn't a BYU degree in (presumably Mormon-based) theology do something of the same kind?

Maybe the CoJCoLDS positively does not want anyone not called to a church leadership position to have any claim to expertise in doctrinal matters? Could be ...

What I mean is that the church seems to have a utilitarian approach to BYU: what will benefit the church? I think it's clear they don't believe that theology and religious studies benefit the church in a practical way.

MCB wrote:
BYU was founded as a way for LDS to get an education without losing their faith. Given that LDS see literature, history, psychology, etc, differently, that takes very careful and specific educational planning. That is demanding enough, without adding theology to it.

That may be, but BYU manages to place students in top programs all over the world, so it’s not like going to Bob Jones or Liberty U.

MCB wrote:
BYU was founded as a way for LDS to get an education without losing their faith. ....

This is an obviously true statement, but one I find to be kind of an indictment against Mormonism. Though I'm sure that Mormons would see it as an indictment against a so-called "worldly education."

Runtu wrote:What I mean is that the church seems to have a utilitarian approach to BYU: what will benefit the church? I think it's clear they don't believe that theology and religious studies benefit the church in a practical way.

Most Americans have the kind attitude that, if they are going to get degree, they want it to have earning power and degrees in the Humanities are perceived to be “useless”. I’m sure at BYU, there is more demand for Business or Engineering type classes.

MrStakhanovite wrote:That may be, but BYU manages to place students in top programs all over the world, so it’s not like going to Bob Jones or Liberty U.

Yes, but they often are pretty solid in their faith by then, and some see themselves as missionaries while completing their graduate studies.

Though I'm sure that Mormons would see it as an indictment against a so-called "worldly education."

Lol. Semantic games are frequent, aren't they?

Oh, yes, business and engineering are "safe." And very worldly.