The world today is full of diverse perspectives on religion and religious faiths. In your
daily life, you routinely encounter places of worship, symbols of faith, and religiously
inspired actions, but these encounters are so common that we often do not even notice
them. For one day, bring a journal with you and note every encounter you have with a
religion or religious expression. For example, you can record every church, synagogue,
or mosque that you pass. Or make a note anytime you see someone wearing a religious
symbol (for example, a necklace with a cross on the end, a kippah, or a head scarf). Do
you ever encounter someone preaching, or praying? Do you walk by religiously inspired
art? Are there religious references in the news, or in the television shows or movies you
watch? Religion is all around us; take a moment to examine these daily encounters.
Instructions: Complete and then submit the exercise below.
- Make a photo journal of your day. Please don’t take recognizable pictures of
people without their permission. - DO NOT USE PHOTOS FROM THE WEB. This is a form of
plagiarism. - Write a summary of the religious encounters you had. How frequently did you
encounter religious expressions? In how many different contexts did you find
them, and how many different religions did you see? Were you surprised by
the diversity all around you? Be sure to be respectful of faiths that differ from
your own.
