I don't mean this to be disrespectful or something, but I don't know the purpose of learning Latin?

I noticed someone sitting in front of me at church with a Latin Vulgate, and she was perusing various scriptures. (I just tried to read the abbreviated chapter headings at the top, but couldn't even get those).

My dad has said that his learning Latin helped him with other languages, and etymologies of English words, but it seems like a lot of effort for that.

it's okay to ask that - i was asking the same question before researching it myself. my answer comes from my classical ed. standpoint, so i preface my reasons with that. :)

here's a short answer, and perhaps i'll have a longer post about it later.

three reasons i keep finding in defending latin learning (at a young age!) is:
(a) learning latin (or any inflective language), helps you to learn many other subjects. most subjects (especially that of learning other languages, like your dad suggested) come more naturally. dorothy sayers has said, "Latin cuts down the labor and pains of learning almost any other subject by at least 50%." i like those odds. :)
(b) latin, over russian or greek (other inflective languages) uses our alphabet (or rather, we use theirs!), so the letters come naturally to a young student.
and (c) our language is heavily steeped in latin: 50% of the english language comes from latin (90% of our three-syllable words come from latin roots!).

one other statistic i keep seeing and that i'll "throw at you" is that students who have studied latin score higher in testing than students who never take latin. it's the brain power that learning latin releases that really impresses me.

I like (believe) your first couple points. I wonder if the "Latin students score higher" has to do with other factors, with what the parents think of education and their involvement in the child's life, etc.