One side includes those who see that the study allows people to make their faith greater, to see for instance the beauty and reality of the stories of the Israelites as they escaped from bondage in Egypt.
However, then there are the people who find it safer to retreat to the "safe" interpretations, who are scared (and I can certainly understand the fear) to "kick the tires" (as a best friend of mine likes to say) and see the whole story. I pray that all have the opportunity to "kick the tires" a bit - spoken from personal experience, it is so worthwhile!
It was fascinating. All of my required religion and philosophy classes were great. I dreaded taking them, but they were required. They ended up being the most memorable and meaningful classes I took.
My other religion and philosophy professor always made his class read an article called "The Courage of his Confusion". The premise was that any thinking human could not help but question and try to analyze his religion. It is better to admit you have some confusion and doubt and accept them and deal with them. The alternative is to have the Courage of your Convictions, which would mean you blindly accept what someone else has told you, no questions asked.