IN A recent episode of The RE Podcast, I was asked the one thing that I would wish for to make the world a better place. I would wish that each of us had the superpower to be able to get into another person’s head, to see their point of view; to understand their fears and anxieties and motivations, their hopes, and their deeply held beliefs — especially those with whom we vehemently disagree.

This superpower might have come in handy for me over the past fortnight, during which I have found myself in an uncharacteristically pugnacious mood. My tolerance for excusing racism because of so-called legitimate concerns has been pretty low. The appeal for understanding seemed, in some places, to override the legitimate fears of black and brown communities traumatised, again, by violent hostility towards them as anti-immigrant race riots took place (News, 9 August).

In these days, I’ve ventured into the depths of the cesspit of polarisation which is known as X, wanting to pick fights with those with whom I disagree, to show them — appealing to logic and intellect — that they are wrong. Where I should have simply stepped away, or logged out, I’ve found myself drawn into social media to find targets for my outrage.

The thing is, I already do possess the superpower of being able to attempt to see another’s viewpoint: that superpower is a degree in theology and religious studies. Maybe superpower is a bit strong, but, for me, theology is, at its best, when it not only helps us better understand the nature of God, but opens our eyes to the variety of different beliefs and worldviews that exist in the world — both in our own traditions and outside them.

I fear that the importance of religious studies in education is being undermined at exactly the point in history when we need it most. Religious studies can help us to understand the cultural, spiritual, and economic factors that might cause a person to believe as they do.

This is what we at Theos hoped to demonstrate in our animation Nobody Stands Nowhere — to help all of us to understand how our views, opinions, and beliefs are shaped, and how my deeply held world-view can co-exist alongside another’s, without seeing them as less than human.

This seeing another point of view is central to the parable of the Good Samaritan, which can offer us a powerful counter-story in a world that forces us to pick sides. Imagine what a place the world could be if we all had this superpower to see the humanity in another, not simply what we consider a wrong belief. Who knows, maybe I’d be able to look past the violent riots to see the legitimate concerns?

Chine McDonald is a writer, broadcaster, and director of the religion and society think tank Theos.

Angela Tilby is away.