The first class of the degree in Religious Studies at a Spanish public university graduates in 2025

Religion has always been a key element in society, as much as culture, history, art, science or philosophy. Like those other disciplines, religion has also been the subject of academic reflection.

Its study in the sphere of higher education has deep roots that can be traced back to the very birth of the University, with the madrasas or Islamic universities, or, in Europe, universities such as Oxford University, whose motto is ‘The Lord is my Light’, echoing Psalm 27.

Spanish news website, Protestante Digital, spoke with Miguel Palomo, PhD in Philosophy and coordinator of the Bachelor's Degree in Religious Studies at the Complutense University of Madrid, about how the current approach to the study of religions in academia has been renewed, moving away from an exclusively theological approach to adopt a broader and more multidisciplinary perspective.

Question. What are the Religious Studies?

Answer. The Religious Studies is a field of study that investigates religious phenomenons from an academic perspective.

It does not adopt, nor does it reject, any particular belief; that is, it does not seek to prove whether a religion is true or false. Nor is there an atheistic or agnostic perspective, but rather an attempt to understand how religions function in history, in society, in culture...

To study this religious phenomenon, we use tools from different disciplines, such as history, sociology, anthropology, psychology as well as philosophy.

We aim to analyse questions such as: ‘why do religions exist?’, ‘how does religion influence politics, the morals of a society, the worldview?’ or ‘how do religious beliefs evolve over time?’.

There is a very important difference to other studies, such as theology, for example. Theology studies religion ‘from the inside’, that is, one goes to a Christian seminary to study Christianity, but the Religious Studies seeks an understanding, as objectively as possible and from a comparative point of view, of religious traditions.

That is why it is interesting for believers and non-believers alike. I think it is a very good tool for a better understanding of the role that religion still plays today in society and in humanity in general.

Q. This is the first degree in Spain that provides for this type of studies. Why did it take so long?

A. In Spain there has never been a tradition of studying this discipline. It is true that in the Anglo-Saxon world (England, the United Kingdom, the United States, etc.), Religious Studies does exist.

Spanish history has completely wiped out anything other than Catholicism, and other religions are studied seriously in the Science of religions. We have, for example, subjects on Islam, Buddhism, Asian and Pacific traditions... so that the student has a complete vision of the religious phenomenon.

Although there are degrees in Religious Studies as such, they are taught in religious centres, from a Roman Catholic point of view, and in Roman Catholic seminaries.

We are the first non-denominational degree in Religious Studies, and I think this is a milestone in the history of Spanish universities.

I believe that the delay has to do with the lack of modernity in Spain and with the fact that Spain has always been separated from the reality of the rest of Europe in the academia.

I think this is a great opportunity to catch up and show that we are at the same level as the rest of the international universities, and that everything has changed.

Q. In your experience as a teacher over the years, what motivations do students have when they start these studies?

A. There is a bit of everything. There are believers and not believers. There are some who have personal motivations; others who want to study religion without going to a seminary, For example, evangelicals who want to study but don't want to be pastors. An others who just have a fascination for the religious subject.

These are very vocational studies, because they do not lead directly to a job.

Q. What job opportunities does this degree have?

A. That is a very important issue, in fact, I have had some conversations about it with several students. In the Spanish tradition, you usually look for a job in something related to what you are studying, which makes sense in a certain way.

But in other countries, the reality is different. The studies give you competences and skills that are transversal and that will be useful for the work you do. For example, to use it in trade issues, social services, or even in public roles such as the police.

We can think that religion is present in all layers of society - even sometimes in crime – so that professionals with a background in religion are needed. Not everyone thinks about these things, but it is a reality.

Ultimately, there are many places where professionals who are experts in religion are needed.

One example that is booming now is the religious tourism industry. We know many people who, precisely because of their faith, want to travel, for example, to Israel and see the places where Jesus walked.

But there is also the figure of the mediator, the cultural manager, the management in town councils, the civil servant, the teacher, or the researcher..... Although one might say ‘what am I going to do if I study Religious Studies?’, the reality is that there are many possible job opportunities.

Q. You have been working for several years as coordinator of the degree, do you remember the moment when you were proposed?

A. The dean of the Faculty of Philosophy at the Complutense University proposed it to me, as our studies depend administratively on the Faculty of Philosophy.

I was really the second choice, but the first choice didn't want to take it because of the complexity of its management. For me it was a huge challenge, but also a very nice opportunity.

Ours is a special case due to the interdisciplinary nature of the degree: 19 departments from various faculties participate, between 4 and 5 faculties.

The management is complicated and sometimes delicate, but I am delighted because I have a lot of support from all those involved (dean's office, professors, departments...) and I would choose it again without question.

Q. What has been the biggest challenge in coordinating this new degree in Spain?

A. The biggest challenge is coordinating the professors and departments, because we, the coordinators, have to deal with a lot of bureaucracy. Moreover, we also see the bureaucracy that inundates both professors in their teaching practice and the departments.

But the biggest challenge I also face is with the students. My real interest is that they learn, that this not merely be a formality for the students to get a degree.

Q. The first class of students of this degree is graduating this year. During these four years, has the social perception of religious Studies changed at all?

A. They are a brave class, but I don't think the perception of Religious Studies has changed since the degree began four years ago until today.

When Spaniards think of Christianity, for example, we identify it directly with Roman Catholicism. That, of course, is a huge mistake; Christianity is very complex.

It is very difficult to change one's perspective on religion in such a short time. We still have to make a big effort to make our studies known and to change that way of thinking about religion.

We also have Master's and PhD programmes in Religious Studies which are very successful, and there are people on the waiting list, but the degree is not very well known yet.

That is why we have to help society understand the role of religion in our society, something that should be studied because of its importance.

If we study history or anthropology, why not also study the religious phenomenon, which has determined the way our society functions, from the beginning of time until today?

Q. Before becoming coordinator of the degree, you got your PhD in Philosophy. Have your studies affected your relationship with God? Is there any author who has especially influenced you?

A. I am from Cordoba and I was born into a family that attended an evangelical church there. The truth is that I have always believed in God, I have never said, at any time in my life, ‘God does not exist’.

Today I am still a believer, but it is true that when I started studying philosophy, I thought it would be a constant challenge to my faith. My surprise was that studying philosophy has continually confirmed that Christian faith is not just an emotional comfort or a tradition that we hold on to, but that faith has a rational foundation.

It has also shown me that the most intelligent minds on the face of the earth have affirmed that God exists.

There are many examples that interest me, but perhaps the one I like the most is that of the 17th-18th century philosopher and scientist Leibniz. I did my PhD research on his philosophy.

He was the one who said that the most fundamental question we can ask is ‘why does something exist instead of nothing?’ For Leibniz, the existence of the universe could not be explained by internal causes alone.

Leibniz believed, and I agree with him, that there must be an ultimate reason outside of itself, that is, outside of the universe. And that ultimate reason can only be God.

It is like thinking that I, for example, do not create myself, but that I have parents who created me, and my parents have had parents, etc., etc. If you look at everything in the universe, everything has an external cause. Why would the universe create itself?

According to Leibniz, that ultimate reason is God alone. I think it is one of the strongest arguments for the existence of God, still to this day. That argument is called the ‘argument of contingency’.

Q. Have your beliefs been an obstacle as you have advanced in your career as a researcher? How have your academic colleagues seen it?

A. It has never been an obstacle. My beliefs and my research are two different things, which go in parallel but don't have to touch each other all the time. Although not everyone thinks that you can have your research on one side and your beliefs on the other.

At the University, in the Faculty of Philosophy, you can talk about God without any problem. For example, we talk all the time about the evidence for the existence of God, and it is a very important philosophical subject.

Perhaps the problem for many of my colleagues is to realise that for me this is not just a rational game, but a reality.

I try to follow the Socratic principle of being led by the argument; I think that's the best way to go, but then again, not everybody thinks like that.

Q. Why would you encourage someone, both Christian and non-Christian, to study a degree in Religious Studies?

A. As a Christian, I think that, for someone who is Christian, this degree offers an opportunity to go deeper into the tradition of Christian thought, from a serious, academic and comparative perspective.

I think that it is very good for strengthening the faith, equipping it with greater knowledge, with a capacity for dialogue with other worldviews.

For non-Christians or non-believers, it is a way of understanding how and why religions have been so important for human development, beyond personal belief.

In an increasingly globalised and pluralistic world, knowing about religions and their impact is key not only to understand the past, but also to interpret the present, understand our daily lives and, above all, to prepare ourselves for the future.