You are to pick one (1) of the religions studied (with which you are not very familiar) and do one of these three (3) things:

Question

Attend a religious service,or

Visit a religious education center and interview a member of that faith,or

Attend a “virtual religious service” and complete additional research (for a list of services, see below before the rubric).

Write a 5-7 page paper in which you:

Discuss any misconceptions you had about the religion you researched.

Analyze how your prior understanding about this religion was altered (if at all) through your encounter.

Discuss whether you believe misconceptions about other people’s religion are common and explain why or why not.

Recommend at least one (1) step that could be taken to minimize misconceptions people have about religions not their own.

Keep the points to be covered in your paper in mind during your religious field research to help guide your encounter. The purpose of your field research (whether actual or virtual) is to test your own assumptions about this religion.

Pay attention to what is important to people inside the religion, what they do, what they profess, how they act, what they value, what they talk about, and what they tell you about their religion. The easiest way to understand what is important to someone else is let them tell you about their faith, their traditions, and their religious practices. The most important thing to do is to keep an open mind and listen. No matter which of the three (3) routes you take for your field research, you will be looking for the same information.

A note about attending religious services in person: Please keep in mind that if you choose to attend a religious service in person, you are a guest and should be as respectful as humanly possible. While you may be attending the service from the perspective of an objective (and hopefully inquisitive) observer, most of the other people will be attending the service as part of their religious practices. Please do the following before you go:

Call the place you wish to attend and ask if it is okay to attend as an observer.

Ask if someone could (or should) act as a host when you attend.

Ask if anyone would be willing to speak with you after the service to explain what happened and to answer a few questions about the basics of the religion.

Your assignment must:

Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.

Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required page length.

Virtual Worship Services

Atheist: The Atheist Experience —http://www.ustream.tv/channel/The-Atheist-Experience; scroll to bottom of page to see time and date for next live broadcasts, which are usually from 4:30-6:00 p.m. CST on Sundays; live chat generally starts one hour prior to show/service.

Buddhist: Boundless Light Sangha (live meditation and Dharma message service) — http://www.ustream.tv/channel/boundless-light-sangha; scroll down to bottom of page to see time and date for the next broadcasts, which are usually from 7:00-7:30 a.m. EST; you MUST go to the Website and click the RSVP button a few days prior to the service to let them know that you will be attending).

Buddhist: Dharma Teaching Service (live with English translator) — http://www.ustream.tv/channel/buddhist-dgarma-teachings; the Website does not yet state specific times and dates, but it seems to be live online fairly regularly.

Christian: Vsenochnaya Russian Orthodox Church — http://www.ustream.tv/channel/vsenoshnaya1; the daily Mass generally starts between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m. PST; special services (such as weddings) are live as well.

Christian: St. Athanasios Greek Orthodox Church —http://www.ustream.tv/channel/st.- athanasios-greek-orthodox-church; Sunday Services at 6:15-9:15 a.m. EST; Divine Liturgy at 9:30 a.m. EST; you MUST go to the Website and click the RSVP button a few days prior to the service to let them know that you will be attending.

Hindu: Samagam —http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bslnd-live-samagam; generally around 3:00 p.m. EST on Saturdays.

Islam: Green Lane Masjid —http://216.52.240.165/channel/green-lane-masjid-live; Sundays at 1:30-2:30 p.m. EST.

Islam: Friday Khatbah —http://www.alhikmatlive.com/; Fridays at 1:30 p.m. EST. (For other Islamic programs, check the daily broadcast guide for Al-Hikmat TV at http://www.alhikmat.com/programguide.html.)

Islamic Heritage Center —http://www.ustream.tv/channel/IHC-English-Lecture; scroll down to bottom of page to see time and date for the next few services or lectures; you MUST go to the Website and click the RSVP button a few days prior to the service to let them know that you will be attending.

Judaism: Shir Hadash Synagogue (Reformed Judaism) —http://www.ustream.tv/channel/shir- hadash; Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. EST.

Judaism: Kehillat Temple—http://www.ustream.tv/channel/kehillat; Kol Nidre Services on Fridays at 7:30 p.m. EST; Sabbath Services on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. EST.

Sikhism: Naujawan Sabha Malaysia Live Kirtan and Programmes — http://www.ustream.tv/channel/snsmlive; Raag Darbar runs from 10:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. EST on most days.

Sikhism: Geeta-Mandir (and interfaith) —http://www.ustream.tv/channel/geeta-mandir; 9:00 p.m. CST on most days.

NOTE:Students will still need to find and to interview a “real” person for this assignment.

Robert · Accepted Answer

A visit to a Hindu Temple 
I chose to select Hinduism as the religion for studying for the assignment as I had many 
Hindu friends and was always very curious to know more about this religion. This is 
because of the fact that Christianity and Islam are the two religions about whom I have 
studied in greater details because of the popularity of contentions among the two in 
media and otherwise but always found that the available information a very less for 
Hinduism.
So, I took this opportunity to go to the temple with my Hindu friends to learn about the 
details of the rituals and the typical associations with this religion. The day we chose 
was Sunday when many people come to visit the temple and the temple is seen to be 
bustling with many programs and religious functions to facilitate prayers and other 
agendas. I was always very curious about the idol worshiping as I had seen that at many 
instances Hindus worshiping the stone or metal idols of so many Hindu deities with a 
set procedure and materials required for praying.
The temple is a place where you have to wear clean and sober clothes which do not 
reveal much of the body although Hindu temples are far better at providing liberty at 
choosing the attire than many other religions. People remove their shoes in the 
designated area and are supposed to wash their hands thereafter followed by rinsing the 
mouth to feel clean and fresh to be able to prepare oneself to pray to the God and 
perform other rituals which require clean body. It is a matter of choice to buy certain 
things which are required to perform puja- a religious ceremony conducted by each 
person to pray to idols and has a set procedure. It is called samagri for puja and I 
insisted on that we should buy the samagri for puja in in order to perform puja in a 
proper manner for the maximum learning and material for my research. The samagri 
has various things depending upon the temple shop and the basic things which it has are 
flowers, raw coconut,

You are to pick one (1) of the religions studied (with which you are not very familiar) and do one of thesethree (3) things: Attend a religious service,or Visit a religious education center and...

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