dialectic and religion

Question: How did you come to understand dialectic?

While I was a philosophy major I first heard about the process(?) of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis in the context of Hegel. Although I have found since that this description has come up more in conversations about religion (primarily Christianity) than anywhere else (educational theory being a big one). I was reminded of this while reading Maxine Greene, where she brings up the idea of obstacles overcome as part of the dialectic of freedom. Basically I am interested in seeing if religion helped Hegel, or whether religion borrowed (transformed) the idea. In Christianity you have creation (defined by different groups as, natural law, normative structure, design, original order, conception, formation, foundation, generation inception, birth) which works as the thesis, antithesis is developed as: sin, brokenness, direction, obstacles, social distortion, death, the fall, chaos, reductionism, or any other "ism" (again different depending on the group), and finally synthesis as the resolution of this dialectic- redemption, freedom, life, sanctification, deliverance, liberation, regeneration, rebirth, restitution. You can see this similar sort of story arc in a lot of religions (Judaism, Christianity, New Age, Scientology).

Maybe my question should really be is dialectic inherently religious or vice versa?