“Religious studies is useless.” “It’s such an easy subject.” “What a pointless A level.”

These are the common misconceptions that echo in my ear as a current religious studies (RS) student. But I can assure you that the subject is anything but straightforward. The abstract concepts that must be grasped are more than a brain teaser. In fact, I would argue RS is much more rigorous, and much more challenging, than those core subjects traditionally viewed as “difficult”. I should know, I take some of those other subjects, too.

Admittedly, I had a false perception of RS’ “easy” content before I started the course. But I soon realised my mistake. 

Ontological, teleological, cosmological - my brain combusts at the number of propositions presented to prove God’s existence. Couldn’t Anselm, Paley and Aquinas come together with one ultimate explanation? Writing an essay about God’s existence in a mere 15 minutes is enough to make my hand and mind numb.

You may think scientific questions such as “What are enzymes?” are tough, but I can easily tell you that, in fact, enzymes are biological catalysts. What I certainly can’t tell you easily, however, is why “The problem of evil” exists.

‘It opens your eyes to ethical questions’

And what about the challenge that it is a “pointless” subject? Despite my earlier complaints about my hand almost falling off at the time limit, I cannot stress how much such a task enhances your essay-writing skills within and beyond the subject.

And as well as offering academic guidance, the subject also opens your eyes to the ethical morals you hold and the different perspectives people have on controversial topics such as abortion and euthanasia.

So why does RS still have such a poor reputation?

Well, we have to take ourselves back to GCSE. RS at GCSE is something many students breeze through, as the content is not extensive. And with little assessment of long-form discursive essays, it can feel flimsy.

But the real issue may be beyond the control of teachers. An increase in secularisation within our British society highlights the lack of influence religion has in decision-making and problem-solving. On top of this, the heavy emphasis on science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) subjects within schools means the arts and humanities are disregarded as students are encouraged to pursue maths and science subjects. As a result, these common misconceptions of RS seem to be inevitable, as its poor reputation extends to societal views on the subject.

Something needs to change. In a multicultural country RS is more important than ever. I believe it can make us better students, better thinkers and, ultimately, better people.

Halima Sadia is an A-level student in London