Posts Tagged ‘religious identity’
S+C | Religious identity and diversity
Posted by: Shirley Paulson in Podcast on April 24th, 2009
Episode 21 is a conversation with Meg Biallas and Shirley Paulson.
Meg is a religiously minded Journalism student at Butler University. She is one of nine scholarship students who attended the recent Religion Communicators Council (RCC) convention this year, and I had the privilege of being appointed as her mentor. This year’s topic – Identity amid diversity – was a perfect springboard for our podcast conversation. Meg has just been discovering the depth of spirituality within herself, so the anchor of her identity is important while she navigates the contemporary pluralistic religious world. I have lived with a more secure religious foundation, but the security of my identity is increasingly challenged in the context of the same increasing pluralism.
Meg and I are happy to discover in our discussion how much the changing landscape of increasing contact with new religious communities has been enriching in our experiences. Meg points out that contact with her new Muslim friend at RCC (another scholarship student) made her ask herself about her own level of devotion. And I find it helpful to learn that others cope with feeling as isolated or different as I do. And an even greater benefit is the unifying power we discover together in our mutual love for God. Regardless of our different religious practices, our desire to be close to God and to live faithfully to God brings the security we need in the midst of the diversity.
Here are some questions we’d love to hear your thoughts on:
- How have you related to others with strong differences in faith backgrounds?
- How do you balance the need to establish an identity for your religious community, and yet maintain your unique individuality?
- How has your experience with religious pluralism benefited your own faith?
Please post your comments just below the links related to this podcast on the Spirituality and Christianity.com website. Also, if you haven’t subscribed to these podcasts, there’s an eas “Subscribe to S+C Podcast” link on the right side of the website page. Thanks.!
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