What I learned...

I think the most important thing I learned while taking this class is how alike several religions can be. Throughout this course we studied Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. While all of these religions have their differences, I have come to realize that we're more alike than we are different. I found it really interesting that of the theistic religions we studied, most of them worshiped the same God even though He was referred to by different names. I wish that more people would realize this and stop the prejudices that seem to have overtaken our media. Muslims aren't terrorists. They are people just like you and me. They even worship the same God. In fact, some of the Qua'ran (their holy book/scripture) sounds very similar to what the Christian Bible says. I was also a little surprised at how welcoming and open all of the people at each worship place were. They were all very willing to answer questions and always seemed to be happy to teach us about their faith. I would like to think that we, as Catholics, are the same way.

Studying different religions has also given me a new perspective on my own faith. I have been reassured that Catholicism is what's right for me and helped me to deepen my faith. By listening to what other religions believe, I have been able to make comparisons and strengthen my beliefs. I have had to use logic and even ask difficult questions of both my own beliefs as well as the beliefs of other religions in order to figure out what I truly believe and why. I have also taken a look at how I portray myself and how that reflects my faith. I have thought that I am open and willing to teach others about the faith, but now I feel as though I could be an even better teacher because I have a little more background and I can compare Catholicism/Christianity to other religions.

One of the biggest connections I have made to other classes I've taken (which haven't been that many or anything like this one) is to my Modes of Inquiry class. One of the books that we had to read was Eboo Patel's Acts of Faith. This book talked about his efforts to develop pluralism or an understanding of other religions. He did this through having people from different faiths work together on common service projects. Although we didn't work on any projects together, just learning about other faiths is a step in the right direction. If just a few people understand, they can teach and correct others when they misrepresent other religions.

I feel as though this class also fits well with the Loras dispositions: creating active learners, reflective thinkers, ethical decision makers, and responsible contributors. This class was all about active learning. We didn't just sit in a classroom and listen to the professor lecture. We visited places and learned by participating. When we visited the mosque and the Zen Center, we were able to actually participate which made it easier to understand what was going on. I was also able to make more connections when we were able to see the places. After we visited each place, we were expected to reflect on what we did and learned from each trip by writing a blog or a paper. I know that my faith plays a role in making ethical decisons and through the things I learned in this class, I now have a better understanding of how others make their decisions. I believe that this class has helped me to become even more of a responsible contributor. I can contribute to the understanding of all religions by teaching others what I have learned. Hopefully I can help others see that many religions are more alike than they are different. We were also expected to be both active learners, reflective thinkers, and responsible contributors in our final project. Each project had an interactive aspect (mine was making Baklava) as well as a teaching aspect (posters and talking with the members of the retirement community). I also had to use skills in this class that I had learned in other classes, such as writing, researching, and leading discussions/giving presentations.

Overall, I really enjoyed this class and learned a lot. There were so many different ways of learning such as lectures, discussions, quizzes, field trips, and projects and so much information to learn. This course has left me with a desire to learn more - more about other religions as well as more about my own religion. If I can learn and understand, I can also teach and empower. Even if I don't remember specifics about each religion, I know that I will always remember that we're more alike than we are different.