Taking Theological Theories Related to Religious Studies Theology itself deserves a place among scholastic attempts to provide answers to questions that Hinnells considers “meaning, truth, beauty, and practice” (108), but Rodrigues deciphers it as “studying, reflecting, systematizing, disseminating, defending and promoting one's religion from within that tradition”. (35) In any case, it is assumed that theology is nothing more than a tool used to help the religious scholar interpret the difference between religion, religious studies, and being religious. Theology, in itself, continues to fight for space among all the other methodologies used to answer life's deepest questions that cannot be touched in the study of religion. The many assumptions of theological analysis arise from the application of terminology, misunderstanding of the concept, and individual interpretation. Hinnells offers eight different branches of theology: systematic, historical; biblical; moral; philosophical; practical; mystical; and as a confessional discipline. (96-97) Even with these different branches, there is still the scholar of one particular tradition (or scholarly background) who attempts to apply his or her terminology to a concept of the other. This raises the question: which label is the accurate version to use? While Augustine's ChristineDoctrine could, for all intents and purposes, be used when applying the terminology to the analysis of any faith, it would not encompass the scope of Hinduism. Not to mention that the concept in and of theology itself is not shared between religions. Jewish tradition is skeptical (rightly so) about the use of Western terminology “since Christians (or others) might use it to see… middle of the paper… whether the secular environment leaves the door open for interpretation. Time and again, the commonality of understanding continues to bring the barrier of misinterpretation. Removing the assumptions of application of terminology, misunderstanding of concept, and individual interpretation will help the scholar study religion. Theology continues to fight for space among all the other methodologies used to answer the questions of why, how, when and where God and religion fit into life. Where religion cannot reach, theology can go. Similar to the obsolete use of Morse code, theology is alive in every branch of analytical science, with application to the study of religion. Theology should have its place in curricula, but it has more momentum when it is linked to the study of religion. Works Cited Hinnells, study of religionrodrigues, study of religion