I think that the most important thing I learned during this j-term was the relation and compatibility so many different faiths have. In all of the places that we visited and all of the traditions we learned about, I felt as though I was really experiencing God. Not just the God of Islam or a god of Hinduism. I felt the real presence of my God. It surprised me at first, but then I came to the conclusion of what I believe I have stated in an earlier post; God uses many different forms in order to connect with individuals of different cultures and backgrounds.
All of the faith traditions had a beautiful part of them that stuck out to me. Judaism recognizes that there is not a known name of God because we cannot know something so beautiful and holy. Islam uses its whole body in prayer; they stand, bow, and kneel on the ground. Hinduism has the idea of the lotus flower and letting everything roll off of you like the water on the flower. Buddhism tries to center oneself with discipline and is not afraid of silence by any means.
This class was a lot more interactive than any other class I have had so far at Loras because of all the trips we were able to take. It is also a class that I can clearly see having an impact on my day to day life right now. I know that a lot of classes prepare students for the real world or work world, but this class helped prepare me for, not only the future, but right now.
This class is going to help me further respect and be open to other faith traditions and those who practice them. I believe that this class will help me to take this knowledge and further my own faith with the curiosity that I have gained from it. This class made me want to learn more and discover more about other faiths, as well as my own.
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