A Christian Learning about Islam

To begin, I was nervous about attending a service for a faith to which I did not belong and which was not even part of

Reading about Islam also gave me a chance to reflect on those things within the Christian tradition that I hold dear. I believe in God, and most

Everybody looked very cheerful and benevolent. It felt like one big family gathering. We entered the synagogue and there were plush chairs and carpet embellished with nature like colors and leaf designs. The roof was high, there was a lot of light, gold accents, a stained glass window, wooden beams that were exposed, as well as a wooden bureau, which housed the Torah. There were also candles and podium/table from which the rabbi spoke.

This is interesting because they Muslims go there to pray and what happened is the Muslim started to pray then a christian came up and grabbed him and yelled “this is the way you face to pray”

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The Chapel was very interesting to me because I am a strong believer in God and I believe that everybody no matter what the disability or problem should have a opportunity to attend Church and build a relationship with God. As well as much as Chapels and just Gods name in general has been taken out of school systems and other state and federal funded projects it really made me happy to see that one around me has not backed out from religion.

While I waited this elderly man came and put up a sign on the doorknob that read Al-Anon. At that moment, I found myself surprised that they publically pointed out what type of group was held in that timeframe. Finally, I went in to the auditorium which was this big space and right in the middle of this space was a circle. Within the circle there were cardboards that read different quotes or saying used a lot in the program and a small basket. As I got closer to where the people were standing it felt strange because nobody acknowledged my presence. I was looking kind of lost when I was received by the facilitator who was a friendly woman who called upon the group so that she could introduce me and gave me the opportunity to explain that I was a MSW student from Simmons College and my purpose of being with them that night. The facilitator explained to them that I was aware of the importance of confidentiality and that I was not allowed to take pictures or takes notes. She then led me to a seat in the circle and gave me a book so that I could participate in the reading of the 12 steps and traditions with the rest of the group.

While we were approaching, I could hear them singing. I was so excited, my heart rated so fast. We went there. No cross, just a plain building and above the door a sign in big white letters “City Church Chicago”. We went in. I was speechless and I couldn’t keep my mouth closed. There were kids, young people, old people, colored people, white people. Everybody was there and everybody was accepted the way he/she is. That was my first time in a different church. They sang a song. It was mind blowing. I was holding my tears. After the song, pastor started preaching. I loved that the pastor was explaining bible quotes on real life situations, it was like an motivational speech. He ask us to stand up and sing a song with him. I didn’t know the lyrics, but that’s not the problem. They have karaoke! So we sang, it was amazing. I really enjoyed

After the silent prayer time, I’m thinking it’s time to dismiss, not! We had to pray again to bless the bread & wine. It was time for communion. After communion, and 2 hours of torture, I almost felt myself running to my car. I had never felt that kind of torture before in church. Don’t judge me. I went with an open mind, expecting something different but not that different. The other event I attend was a Friday Mid-day Muslim Prayer Service with one of my students at the Islamic Center of Macon GA. My student advised me on how to dress. In other words, make sure the top of my outfit was long sleeves and the bottom was long enough to cover all of my legs. I thought I was ok, until I got there; they gave me a scarf to cover my head. Oh, I forgot to mention, I had to take off my shoes and leave them before I entered into the place of prayer. I guess you can call it a sanctuary. One thing I found odd was the men and women do not pray in the same place together. Since I was a guest of my student and actually a participant of the prayer time, the wudo, which is a ritual of purification, was not necessary. My student prepared me for the experience very well. She said, “Ms Finney, when you enter the mosque, just go in with the mindset that you are there to talk to Allah himself.” That’s where she lost me, I’m down with Jesus, but I didn’t tell her that. The women’s prayer session was very warm and the ladies

It was my first time visiting this church, I was nervous yet anxious. The pews had beautiful burgundy cushions and plenty of space. I was just thinking in my head, ‘I hope this church is great and not boring’. Ramah Grove Missionary Baptist Church was my grandparents’ church so I was being introduced to everyone. It seems as if as soon as we sat down the choir started singing behind the pulpit. They sung a few songs that didn’t genuinely interest me so I started to daydream about starting a new school the next day and then I heard something that caught my attention.

I have always been interested in learning about religion in conjunction with experiencing it. Growing up I was raised in a Christian home and learned very little about any other religion including other monotheistic religion. Judaism is the religion that I knew the least about and decided that the best possible way for me to learn more was to experience it. I had only ever heard of Judaism in a comical or historical way. I chose to go to a Synagogue to further my knowledge and experience Judaism first hand.

For the Interfaith trip, I hope to learn more about other religions and why they do certain practices. I think a lot of the stigmas that are placed on other religions can be removed through knowledge and understanding of their practices.

The outside observation that I went to, was the church service that was interpreted at Wind City Church. I often don’t go to church one because I haven’t really found the church for me, and it’s hard for me to understand and actually take in what it being said by the pastor, and when I do understand, sometimes it’s just hard for me to believe what is said, however, I do believe in God. Anyways, when I went to the service I wasn’t all that interested in going, but it turned out really good. I feel that it was a great observation for me, and it was very influential somehow.

In addition, I visited a local mosque to experience firsthand a Muslim prayer service. Finally, I interviewed a coworker to discover an inside view of the Islam religion from someone who practices the religion. The coworker has been a Muslim since birth and was very pleased to share his experiences with Allah (God) with me and was happy to answer my questions about Islam.

I chose to research the Muslim religion for my site visit. I wanted to have in depth experience with this religion since I did my group project about Sikhism and during class we went into great detail about every other religion. I did not know what to expect when visiting a mosque, it was a pretty nerve-wracking experience for me being a non-Muslim. I have been raised with Christian morals my whole life even though I have only gone to church a few times in my whole life. Almost all religions have a house of prayer; Jews have synagogues, Buddhists/Hindus have temples and Catholic and Christians have churches and cathedrals. Muslims have mosques; each religious center has their own different rules, rituals and services that need to be followed. A mosque is a place of prayer for Muslims within the Islamic belief. Another word for mosque in Arabic is Masjid. Kind of like a church, a mosque is where Muslims worship and bow before Allah to declare their obedience and loyalty. Mosques date back till the time of the prophet. In order to find a mosque, I went on the Internet and stumbled upon Masjid Beit El-Maqdes.