Bulletin No. 1, 2010

16  Chinese University Bulletin No. 1, 2010  Of Steeple and Society Centre for Catholic Studies W e human beings are distinguished from other living things by our power of thought and our will. We are rational animals or supposed to be. We have choices. From a religious point of view, these are gifts, gifts that may also bring trouble. Deciding how to use them, therefore, is our responsibility. Humanistic education helps us to develop and make full use of these gifts. The centre was set up in the Department of Cultural and Religious Studies in 2005. How does religious education at the University contribute to the development of our unique potentials as human beings? Prof. Ha Keloon Louis, director of the centre and a Catholic priest, explained, ‘Religious studies is not about trying to convert students, but enabling them to understand religions and their traditions, especially their histories which are a part of human histor y. Hong Kong’s environment is beneficial for such studies because there’s f r e edom o f r e l i g i on and harmony among the various religions. Religious wisdom—and not only psychology and the social sciences— also has lots to teach us about the value of life, what pushes people to