The students gather in a circular formation on the fifth floor of the George L. Mosse Humanities Building, passing around objects significant to their individual religious beliefs: There’s a prayer card, a book of poems and a copy of the Book of Mormon. As they move around the circle, each object is carefully held and observed by the students with a genuine sense of curiosity.
This vulnerable moment is made possible by the Center for Religion and Global Citizenry (CRGC), a group that opens the gateway for its student members to learn about the worldviews, beliefs and rituals of faiths ranging from Judaism to Catholicism to Islam and more. CRGC creates a safe haven to develop religious literacy–the knowledge of, and ability to understand, religions of many different types.
“This is the phase where we emphasize religious literacy,” says Ulrich Rosenhagen, the Director of CRGC and a lecturer in the Department of History. “The way we do this is by learning with and from each other.”
The students begin to ask each other questions about their daily rituals and beliefs. Do they write in their sacred text? What do different translations of their sacred text mean? What daily rituals are done to connect with their religion or spirituality? A sense of comfort grows, as questions come from a place of curiosity and admiration rather than imposition.
CRGC creates a community with a desire to grow in their understanding of interfaith dialogue. Open conversations facilitated by Rosenhagen and students provide a new perspective on religious identity. Just as sexuality and race play a vital role in one’s sense of identity, so does religion--or a lack thereof.
For some, it creates a whirlwind of emotions from trauma and grief; for others, passion and affection.
“Learning how to have interfaith dialogue and learning how to respect people of other faiths and be able to converse with people of other faiths, traditions, and backgrounds is huge,” says Kristina Fiedler, a senior studying environmental science and German, who discussed how CRGC has impacted her college experience and religious journey, “It has been super helpful navigating diverse spaces and helping others feel more comfortable in a shared space,”
One piece to this puzzle of religious understanding is conversation. Before discussing religious beliefs, the group develops trust in their tight-knit community over coffee or cups of boba tea. During these initial interactions, anything from majors to hobbies is explored. The students emphasize the importance of seeing someone first as a human being.
Like an interconnected root system, these different religions share beliefs while maintaining a unique set of traditions. Many celebrate holidays with others or look to sacred texts to connect with prophets from the past. Controversial topics come up, but maintaining respect for others is paramount.
“It is hugely important to have those conversations once you've reached the point of seeing each other as humans,” Fiedler says,
Third-year undergraduate student and L&S Dean's Ambassador Jonathan E. Bryan is majoring in neurobiology, molecular and cell biology, and psychology. He expands on this idea of interconnectedness. Bryan plans to go into medicine and knows he will need to navigate interactions with an array of people from diverse religious backgrounds. As he sees it, building religious literacy could make him a more empathetic and understanding doctor. CRGC allows him to continue his spiritual journey while learning to communicate with people of other religions.
And that’s the point, says Rosenhagen.
“We are somewhat limited in our own experiences and our own worlds," he notes. "We need to transcend these worlds and religion helps us to do this.”