Final answer:
Theology is the rational study of religious beliefs, assuming faith, and can include a wide spectrum of religious phenomena, not necessarily focused on deity worship. Process theology is one example within this field that discusses metaphysical aspects and the divine. Theology transcends mere belief, seeking to provide understanding and articulate religion's role and the significance of the sacred.
Step-by-step explanation:
Definition of Theology
Theology is the study of religious beliefs in a rational manner, often assumptive of individual faith. Contrary to philosophy of religion, which applies rational thought to religious questions without presuming the existence of a deity, theology applies critical thinking and analysis to religious texts, practices, and beliefs. Besides focusing on the concept of one God as seen in Western religious traditions, theology may also encompass a wide range of religious phenomena, including those not centered on deity worship.
Its scope covers a diverse spectrum of topics ranging from the nature and attributes of God or gods, to the interpretation of sacred texts, and the impact of religious belief on a society's culture and morality. Process theology, for example, is a school of thought within this domain that engages with the metaphysics of existence and the divine, influenced by Alfred North Whitehead's process philosophy.
Through theology, scholars and students alike seek to understand and articulate the complex nature of religion, which is a system of beliefs, values, and practices concerning what a person deems spiritually significant. This endeavor seeks to translate and summarize intricate concepts into more comprehensible forms, discerning the sacred from the ordinary, and providing interpretations to the big questions of existence and the divine.