Reflecting on this past semester, there are many things that come to mind when applied to Todd Tremlin’s, World Religions class. I have learned more than I ever have in the field of religion and did an abundant amount of outside research due to the growth in interest. With a major already invested in religion, my passion has inevitably grown and changed from that of a close minded, ignorant christian that believes in only ONE right way, to an open minded accepting, unbiased individual. There were times when I left class questioning all that I had grown up knowing and times when my deepest questions about life itself were answered. It was almost like the act of giving and receiving. When one question was answered another question would be
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Much to my excitement, the interior made up for any disappointment I felt about the outside. It was like walking into my own idea of India. Bright oranges, reds, and golds. Murtis everywhere. Many vast rooms that were decorated beautifully. I was in love with the inside of the temple and was ready to explore. There were not many people in the temple and I was wise to wear a long skirt with a blouse. Many of the women had on similar clothing items or were wearing beautiful tunics/sari’s. My appearance may have fit the environment but, I felt completely out of place and I decided that I would follow what most of the people were doing. There was a woman and a child who entered the temple after me and I watched as they slipped their shoes off and walked into a room adjacent to me. I followed suit, took my shoes off, and walked into the room. I could smell a wonderful incense burning and there were many murtis. I found myself trying to identify some of the statues with the deities that I had researched. Krishna, Ganesha, and Shiva were more obvious than the others and as I was staring at the decorated gods, I realized that there was a tradition/worship happening and I needed to trail along with the rest of the people. Many of the people were going up to each statue and bowing their heads in the namaste position. I followed a small group of people around the room whilst copying their movements. I found it difficult to do this at first because of my religion. It is in the 10 commandments not to worship any other God but, I reasoned with myself and realized that I was doing it out of respect for the people and the culture and not for
Much to my excitement, the interior made up for any disappointment I felt about the outside. It was like walking into my own idea of India. Bright oranges, reds, and golds. Murtis everywhere. Many vast rooms that were decorated beautifully. I was in love with the inside of the temple and was ready to explore. There were not many people in the temple and I was wise to wear a long skirt with a blouse. Many of the women had on similar clothing items or were wearing beautiful tunics/sari’s. My appearance may have fit the environment but, I felt completely out of place and I decided that I would follow what most of the people were doing. There was a woman and a child who entered the temple after me and I watched as they slipped their shoes off and walked into a room adjacent to me. I followed suit, took my shoes off, and walked into the room. I could smell a wonderful incense burning and there were many murtis. I found myself trying to identify some of the statues with the deities that I had researched. Krishna, Ganesha, and Shiva were more obvious than the others and as I was staring at the decorated gods, I realized that there was a tradition/worship happening and I needed to trail along with the rest of the people. Many of the people were going up to each statue and bowing their heads in the namaste position. I followed a small group of people around the room whilst copying their movements. I found it difficult to do this at first because of my religion. It is in the 10 commandments not to worship any other God but, I reasoned with myself and realized that I was doing it out of respect for the people and the culture and not for