How many people take time to go outside of their own religious community to talk about others’ point of view and beliefs? This can be an eye opener to why they do specific actions. The insight to the objects, beliefs and what they hold sacred can create a greater understanding and appreciation for the individuals. For this project, I choose to interview a coworker, one who I had not taken the time to ask about his religion/beliefs prior to this project.
I am a non-practicing, non-religious person. I spent a morning talking to Stanley. He identifies as a non-denominational Christian. He not only has strong religious beliefs, he is a pastor in the community. He often spends his free time going to church, home calls and to the hospital to pray and help those in need with religious counseling. He is highly dedicated to his beliefs. As he responded to my questions to further understand the difference between his life and my own, it was apparent he is unwavering and set in his beliefs.
In the process of relating the interview to what we have learned and discussed in this class, I decided to ask Stanley the basic questions to gain a greater perspective of his life. When asked “What impact does your religion have on your life?” to contrast my life to his, his answer is as follows:
"If by religion you mean truth, then it impacts every aspect of my life, both in public and in private. The term religious has different meanings to different people. I prefer to use the word
Some adults may live much of their lives with a literal faith. Stage three is group faith Young people start to value the importance of friendship and often come to view God as one who treats them much like a trusted companion. Stage four is person faith. People strengthen their faith by questioning earlier beliefs. Stage five is mystical faith. At this stage of faith the awareness of God’s inner presence leads one to become more aware that God also dwells in others. Interfaith dialogue now becomes not a threat but an opportunity for new understanding. Stage six is sacrificial faith. Jesus, Dorothy Day, and Archbishop Romero are examples of this sacrificial faith. Such people display radical and consistent commitment to the doing of God’s will that is uncompromised by concern for personal security.
In a personal reflection of 1,000 – 1,250 words, consider how a Christian might benefit from a study of other religions by addressing the following:
The environment you grow up in and people you find yourself surrounded by as your make your way through the maze of life has a profound impact on a person 's worldviews. I am no exception to this rule, and to illustrate this point I will detail how I was raised, what I believed, and how I came to start examining those beliefs a little closer. This critical examination of my own beliefs has led to change how I think about the world in an enormous way, and has had a massive impact on how I relate to and understand other people.
Both assessments also placed him in the Secure/ low avoidance category. Upon consideration of the participant’s answers to the assessment’s questions, he is currently in Elkind’s final stage, the search for comprehension and Fowler’s fifth stage, Conjunctive Faith. The participant in this interview has indeed reach a point in his spiritual growth where he can see the underlying meaning/reasoning of his relationships. While some times still baffled by the behavior of his father, the relationship that he has with his father, other constants in his life, have meaning can ultimately explained through scripture and personal a connection with God. According to Elkind, religion is a natural result of mental development with such complexities, that it ultimately requires our intellectual needs to be gratified by spiritual development as we progress in age, and it is evident that the interviewee has allowed spiritual development to satisfy and bring meaning to that which he could not understand on his own (Hood, Hill, &Spilka, 2009). As for Fowler’s stage of Conjunctive Faith, it is described as place in one’s development where a willingness to converse with those of other faiths in the belief that they might learn something that will allow them to correct their own truths. As minister and someone that has studied theology, the interviewee has had the opportunity to dialogue with several people different faiths and openly admitted that many of them have contributed to his spiritual growth. No longer viewing everything that is found in biblical scripture in a literal sense, he views the theological challenges that are presented to him by those of a different faith as tool to discover as
One of the most positive things about being an American is the ability to interact in “the melting pot” of various cultures all around. While most of us obviously identify with our own specific culture, the variety within our society is extremely diverse, allowing intercultural communication and presents a learning experience for those who are able to communicate and with one another. When observing and interacting with cultures other than my own, I am able to identify some similarities, as well as the differences from their culture to mine. Throughout this semester we have learned so many things about different cultures and worldviews, I have begun to learn a lot more about myself and my personal religious views. I have never followed a religious practice on my own choice, but it is encouraging to see how it positively impacts others in my life.
Religion is something most people around the world have in common. Whether one holds religious beliefs or not, he can relate to others with similar beliefs. A belief in a higher power has a big impact on society today just as it has in the past, as illustrated in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Religion impacts all members of society, whether they believe in one or not.
The purpose of the interview is to get the views concerning each religion. In this regard, two people, a pastor, and an Imam, were interviewed, each representing their respective religion. The pastor and Imam were specifically selected because of their vast knowledge of the Christianity and Islam religions respectively. They were both asked questions about the life
The lessons I’ve received from transitioning through the church as a child, youth, and adult member have taught me a number of lessons; patience, reverence, and empathy are all traits I’ve strengthened, and they have undoubtably helped me through my high school career. Taught how to ask thoughtful questions, I’m unashamed of my curiosity. Our faith is not always one of direct answers— even our most devoted
Why does a person need to show acknowledgement to those of other sects? How come he looks different from his denomination? What reason does he have to always oppose my father’s method of raising me? These questions bug three characters as they figure out the link that mysteriously connects their lives together. In The Chosen, Chaim Potok precisely portrays the various ways of welcoming differences.
I interviewed my dear friend Ashley Johnson for my Religious Experience Project. She was a natural choice for me. I admire her genuineness and kindness, but what inspired me to interview her for my project was how seamlessly her religion is integrated into her life. She is a shining example of Christianity without ever being preachy. She has a passionate and intimate relationship with her God that inspires me. This is exemplified by her response to my question “How would you describe your relationship with God?” Here simple answer was: “Like a love story.” I know I have much to learn from her and understanding her religion and beliefs would be a good place to start.
The introduction to The Religion Toolkit: A Complete Guide to Religious Studies by John Morreall and Tamara Sonn establishes the basic purposes behind studying religion. It tries to show its readers that religion may be a much broader and undefined topic than they might be expecting. The Religion Toolkit discusses how the academic study of religion differs from the normative study of religion, how religion is not clearly described, and how Religious Studies compares and contrasts religions against each other.
As you reflect on your past college year, explain how your faith has impacted your life. Think of decisions that you made and / or actions that you chose to take.
For this interview paper I wasn't sure who I was going to interview at first. I was thinking of all of the religious places of worship in my home town of Sheboygan, but I wanted to interview someone I knew. So I decided to interview my roommate. I've known him since sixth grade, and he is a Lutheran. I was raised a Catholic and I had a lot of friends who were Lutheran. When I was a kid I really didn't think any differently about it, but now for this paper I get to interview a friend and see what his religion is all about and what he thinks.
Within the cultural assignment, I had the opportunity to talk with an atheist regarding the origin of his beliefs. Anthony was the name of the person that I talked to. Within our discussion, I learned that there were vast differences in the story of our personal development. I proclaim to be a Christian and was influenced by my mother to live a Christian lifestyle. While growing up, I was not exposed to a variety of other religions, and was the implication of Christianity as being the right choice in faiths was imprinted on me from an early age. On the other hand, Anthony grew up in a non-religious environment that did not consider religion as being a mandatory part of everyday life.
Lastly, since I entered this university, I have developed my religious development level into post-conventional. Because I have lived in a dorm for international students as RA, I can meet people who have different ideas about their religion. For examples, some