What possible reason could there be for requiring a course in comparative religions.?
Well, in the same way that there are required courses in various aspects of history. These are designed to broaden a person’s knowledge and perspective on various cultures, their history, and how they have impacted each other and the world at large.
It broadens a person’s knowledge base to delve into numerous religions and how they have affected the world both positively and negatively throughout history.
Just a few examples off the top of my head would be Ia better understanding of the motivation for the crusades as well as Ghandi and MLK Jr. and their religious views impacting the non-violence methods which brought about such changes in both the USA and India’s freedom from British rule.
Comparative religion courses are about a broad exposure to many religious traditions, their effect upon history NOT indoctrination into any particular one.
It leaves people that much less ignorant about other cultures and unfamiliar ideas and may well promote a greater degree of tolerance for others.
Perhaps if the leaders in power had had a more specific understanding of the difference between the Shia, Sunni, Wahabi and Kurdish branches of Islam, some of the current problems in Iraq and Iran might have been avoided.
More knowledge is usually more helpful than less.
A well taught course in Comparative Religion can give people unique insights into how others think and act. Such a course requires absolutely no personal religious belief system at all; merely a curious mind. And how is that a bad thing?