How to Research a Religious Leader

Religious figures can be fascinating to study. Many come from modest backgrounds, and gradually developed into someone who could influence many people. Read this eHow to learn how to research a religious leader.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Go the library and go through the card catalogue or computerized catalogue for any books or articles about the religious leader you are researching. Make a list of the call numbers.
2. Explore the stacks for the books on your list. While you're there, look for books near the ones specified on the shelves, and go through their indexes. These other books may have interesting information on the religious reader, as well as accounts from contemporaries of the religious leader.
3. Find biographies of the religious leader's contemporaries. These may have some interesting information about the religious leader that may offer a well-rounded view of the religious leader's life.
4. Go online and Google or conduct other searches on the religious leader. You might have to wade through the information, but you might find new information or information that expands on what you have found in the books you have read. Be careful: some of what you find on the Internet may not be as reliable what your read in conventionally published works. This is especially true of Wikipedia.
5. Speak to those who have known the religious leader. You may hear some accounts and personal recollections that do not appear in any publications.
6. Ask for permission to view the religious leader's personal papers. You may be allowed to read letters, journals and sermons in the leader's own hand.
7. Interview him if he is still alive. Ask for permission to tape him or come prepared to take notes. The leader also may give you the names of some people you may interview.
8. Attend the service of the religious leader if she is still alive. Later ask the leader to explain the process behind writing the sermon.