The disciplines of Theology and Religious Studies both seek to understand religion. They are academic disciplines and thus their goal is understanding. Both seek to express religious beliefs in the clearest and most coherent language available. Because religions are ways of life, Theology and Religious Studies examine not only beliefs but also the ideals, practices, organizations, and history of religions.
Theology seeks to examine a religion from the perspective of a believer.
Religious Studies does not take that perspective of a participant and usually studies more than one religion. There are many sources to utilize in the study of the various aspects of Theology and Religious Studies. Those sources suggested below are just a beginning. Library Of Congress Classification Library materials are organized by a system created by the Library of Congress that groups materials based on what they are about. This LC system uses letters and numbers to determine the call number of a book, which serves as that book's address within the collection.