Around Campus
FriarDays Finding a Common Humanity in Other Faiths These days we so often hear of religion driving a wedge between people, or worse, being used to justify unspeakable acts. That’s why it is refreshing to hear stories of the exact opposite happening.
Tyler Barr ’15 (left) and Brendan Osborne ’15 (right) visited the Islamic Center of Chester County in West Chester for their Comparative Religions project this past winter.
4 / Malvern Magazine / Fall 2015
The seniors in Rick Poce’s Comparative Religions classes were tasked with visiting non-Christian congregations in the area, speaking with some of their members and reporting back to the class what they learned. What did they discover? We have more in common than we think. Tyler Barr ’15 and Brendan Osborne ’15 visited the Islamic Center of Chester County in West Chester, where they talked with several men who were there for morning prayers. “The thing that struck me most was the openness and kindness of the men in the mosque,” Barr says. “Before entering, I could not help but think of the stereotypes surrounding Islam since 9/11. However, my fears quickly dissipated during our conversations with these men who called us their Christian brothers. They were just as interested in Catholicism as we were in Islam. I was able to ask them controversial questions about the treatment of women and jihad, in return they asked us challenging questions about Catholicism.” Andrew Hopkins ’15 had a similar experience when he visited the Congregation Ohev Shalom Synagogue in Wallingford. “I was surprised by how accepting they are of other religions,” Hopkins says. “The rabbi told me that each religion is a unique path to God and all paths are necessary and accepted.” The students’ enthusiasm for the project has spread beyond their classroom to others on campus, which Poce hopes will encourage more outreach and dialogue among people of different faiths. “The Catholic Church encourages inter-religious dialog,” says Poce. “We recognize what we share with other religions and what is different. Fundamentally, what these guys learned is that we share a common humanity as God’s children.” mp