Religion, Culture and Sense of Belonging

In the diverse set of subjects that are treated by the discipline study of religions, I selected seven that I was particular fond off. Is religion a valid area of academic studies or is something ethereal just catching the attention of a few? From the great movement of secularization that swept the Western civilization, during part of the 20st century, does anything survived? Edward Said has marked a time when the prevailing opinions in the West about the Orient were biased. Is his intellectual contribution still accurate? The twenty century brought an enormous curiosity about the Eastern religions. Is the Buddhist appeal of a deeper interior pathway to enlightenment something that can be accommodated to our free-thinking culture? Islam dominates the great titles of the news everywhere. Does Islam represent a threat to our core beliefs an and ways of life or is it another expression of the diversity and richness of our democratic and open societies?