Religious Studies Courses in London and Online
Discover beliefs and traditions from across the globe. Explore iconography, sacred texts and rituals. Examine the history of different world religions and discuss contemporary issues around faith and belief. City Lit offers a wide range of short weekend courses in Religious Studies, from general introductions to close-up focus on specific issues, religious objects and texts.
Our classes are taught by experienced, professional tutors with a wide range of specialisms, many of whom also teach at London universities. Tutors also bring their expertise from other academic disciplines, for example history and literature. Please refer to specific course outlines for individual tutor biographies.
With our focus on short, weekend courses in religion and belief, it is easy to fit developing your interests into the busy week.
Browse our range of religion and belief courses in London and online below to choose your perfect option: both complete beginners and returning students are equally welcome at City Lit.
- Witchcraft in the modern world: 1900 to the present
Course start date: Sat 22 Mar 2025Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ethan Doyle-WhiteFrom Wicca to the Satanic Panic, and from The Wizard of Oz to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, this course looks at why the modern world now has so many competing ideas about what witchcraft is.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - The death of GodCourse start date: Mon 12 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: John HolroydOver the past five hundred years in the West belief in God has declined. This course will examine why this has happened and consider the meaning and significance of what has taken place.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00 - Heaven and hell in world religionsCourse start date: Tue 13 May 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Vanessa KingCompare and contrast the afterlife beliefs of the five major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Explore how these ideas developed and influenced each other.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £129.00 - Philosophy and near-death experience: what can we know?Course start date: Sat 17 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Edgar Ter-DanielyanThis course will present the phenomenon of Near Death Experiences (NDEs) from the philosophical perspective and will discuss what, if anything, we can learn from them.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - An introduction to Jainism Course start date: Sat 31 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ketan VariaThis course is an introduction to Jain philosophy, with a particular emphasis on its relevance to environmentalism.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £51.00 - Introduction to Islam: historical emergence, current issuesCourse start date: Sat 31 May 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Farid PanjwaniThe course is about exploring Muslim history: What is Islam? Who is a Muslim? This course explores these questions through a study of the Quran, the Prophet and the socio-political and religious developments in the early history of Muslims. You may discover that there is more than meets the eye.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information. - The purchase of paradise: ideas of purgatory in the mediaeval worldCourse start date: Sat 7 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Vanessa KingIn order to reach heaven a medieval Christian had to spend time in purgatory being cleansed of sin. Come and find out what purgatory consisted of and how you could fast-track you way through it.Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £32.00 - Conscience: a short historyCourse start date: Sat 7 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Andrew GreyJourney through the evolution of the fascinating idea of conscience over the past 2,000 years. Explore ancient and modern understandings of this universal phenomenon, drawing on insights from psychology, sociology, philosophy, theology and neuroscience.Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £19.00 - An introduction to Indian comparative religionsCourse start date: Sat 9 Aug 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ketan VariaThe course is an introduction to Indian Religions. Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism all have common aspects, but also some fundamental differences in philosophy. - Reasoning and God: an introduction to theologyCourse start date: Sat 18 Oct 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Edgar Ter-DanielyanThis course is an introduction to theology – reasoned discourse on the Christian understanding of God, his nature, and his relationship with human beings and the created order.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - Constructing the witch: how women became maleficentCourse start date: Sat 1 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ann JeffersThis study day will examine the question of the association of women with magic and witchcraft.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - Interpreting the Bible: key skills and textsCourse start date: Sat 15 Nov 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Andrew GreyDiscover and explore key principles, knowledge and skills for interpreting the Bible, and apply them to select texts from the Old and New Testament.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00
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