Religious Literacy Blog #2

Yesterday 85 suburban teachers visited two Hindu temples and a Sikh temple as part of our course. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect, but I was excited to branch out and see some places of worship in the area.  I had no expectations, and part of me thought we would be “intruding.”  What I discovered was the exact opposite reaction.  We were treated so well by everyone we encountered, and by our third stop, I’ll admit, I was swelling with a little bit of teacher pride.  It seems as if everyone we met went out of his or her way to make us feel welcome and respected.  They wanted to exhibit their faith to us, to have us see their passion, and ultimately, to have us respect their ways of life. 

Therefore, I’d like to amend my previous post by saying that it isn’t simply enough to recognize differences of opinion, culture, and religion, but it is imperative that we all seek out understanding of these differences.  I wake up today wanting to know more, to explore more, and it was so clear in everyone’s twinkling eyes yesterday, that all of us are better off for the experience.

I talked with my wife last night about our own children’s religious “literacy.”  When my children are a bit older, I plan to take them on a field trip similar to what we did yesterday.  I want them, at an early age, to visit all the culture Chicagoland has to offer.  This in no way says I want to push them to one religion or another.  I simply want them to understand custom, cultural differences, etc.

Yesterday, at the Sikh temple, I couldn’t help but think of a high school experience I had. There was a boy in my PE class who was a Sikh.  I did not know him at all; he was two years ahead of me.  However, in the locker room each day he would take off his head covering (patka) and expose his REALLY long hair in order to retie it, and some of the older kids in his grade would tease him, touch his hair, tease him and so on.  I was the bystander, again, two years younger, not knowing what was going on or why he wore his hair as such.  If even one of the other kids in that locker room had been where I was yesterday, he would have probably stood up and explained the custom, backed up the Sikh boy, and dispelled the stereotype (Sikh don’t cut their hair because they believe God created the human body as perfection).  To me, this is why we explore, ask questions, and withhold judgment when encountering difference, religious or otherwise.  This is why we take a course like this.