Varying Perspectives on Faith

In the first few weeks of class, students brought "cultural objects" from home to share with their small groups as well as the class. I had explained that for the purpose of this class, the cultural object should be something that is not only something they personally cherish, but that, for them, it represents their family culture. I will eventually post some photos of these objects as well as explanations of them here on the blog, but for now, can share Eriko's cultural object: the kimono. This is Eriko and her brother, and she chose to include this photo with her blog entry since she'd shared the kimono as her cultural object. At the bottom of the entry, you'll also see a photo of Eriko's family (her dad, mom, sister, and brother) at her cousin's wedding. Eriko's mom is wearing a kimono, and Eriko thought it would be nice for us to see a child and an adult in the kimono. I think she was right!

And I also think you'll really appreciate her perspectives on chapter 3 and 4 -- our last entry on those chapters. Enjoy!


Due to the fact that I was not raised in a family where a strong religion or belief was a part of life, this topic of religion is difficult for me to understand. So it was awkward and confusing for me to read the book “Faith Club.” I grew up with a family who is not religious, and having strong religion is not common in my community. Therefore, I never had any conversation with my parents about what to believe or what not to believe, or the idea of God and a place where we would go after death.

As a child, I did not know about Jesus Christ or the Jewish faith, and I also had no idea what religion teaches and leads us to. Therefore, the concept of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam as well as some information about religious terms such as Passover Seder, Pharisee, Semitism, etc. discussed throughout “Faith Club” were all new to me; I could not understand such terms without the dictionary. The schools I attended as a little child did not care much about religion. I learned some general information about the types of religions demographically, but information I learned in school did not stay long in my memory because I thought the knowledge about religion was not important, and was not useful and helpful for me. However, Priscilla, Ranya, and Suzanne are completely opposite and have had very different experiences in their lives. They have strong beliefs, and those beliefs are part of their lives.

It is obvious that people have different cultures, ethnicities, and religions in the United States and this makes people unique. However, it is not simple for those who have different religions and beliefs to work together and have the same goals. It is not easy to understand, accept, or appreciate profoundly different religions, especially if the different religions have a history of feuds or war. It can be expected that there may arise a conflict over the different beliefs and ideas.

In the chapters, there was a conflict and an argument between Priscilla and Suzanne about Jesus’ crucifixion. Suzanne is a Christian and she thought the story of the crucifixion was fascinating and essential to learn. On the other hand, Priscilla is a Jew and she had a bad experience being discriminated against related to Judaism in the past. Since then, she became very sensitive about anything related to Judaism. So when Suzanne was talking about how Jesus Christ was crucified, Priscilla was upset and defensive toward Suzanne’s explanation about the crucifixion. Two different women have very different perspectives about their own religions. It is normal for those different people to disagree with each other; however, it is not easy to understand each different perspective and disagreement. Suzanne tried to understand what Priscilla had been through as a Jew: how Jewish people feel about Jesus Christ, and how hard it must be to get over being called “Christ killers” or being told “Jews were the people responsible for the death of Jesus.” Finally she understood why Priscilla was very sensitive and obsessed with the meaning of the crucifixion, and what it means to her. She tried to acquire more knowledge about Judaism to understand Priscilla. Priscilla also tried to understand and respect Suzanne’s perspective. As both of them learned more about Jesus Christ and Judaism, their perceptions and knowledge became wider and deeper than before. As a result, they could accept and respect each others' perceptions.

As Priscilla learned more about Jesus Christ, her attitude toward Jesus Christ was gradually changing, and the fear she used to have was diminished. However, her son was confused and was not comfortable with his mother’s change. It seemed to be hard for him to accept his mother’s change because she used to hate Jesus Christ and be anti-Christian. However, now she was watching TV shows about Jesus Christ and learning about him, and she seemed comfortable with the change.

I understand the feelings of confusion, upset, anxiety and discomfort that her son felt. He might feel as if he was betrayed because it seemed like whatever he had seen during his childhood was wrong. It is not easy for him to adjust his idea of what he had been taught and knowing that Jesus Christ was taboo to Jews, and it is hard for him to accept the reality that his mother has now become more comfortable with Christians and Jesus Christ. This change in his mother caused fear and discomfort. So it is important for Priscilla to show her understanding with her son. It is also essential to encourage him to learn about different religions in depth so that his understanding will be much better and deeper.

In order to reduce conflict or to understand differences, it is important to seek knowledge and be aware of differences. If we could successfully accept disagreements showing our respect toward differences, we could have a goal to achieve; as a result, we could avoid a conflict. Indeed, Priscilla and Suzanne did succeed. We do not have to try to change what we believe or what others believe; instead, we can foster our knowledge and respect the differences by learning more about cultures and religions. We are then able to view and feel the world differently, and our lives would be more fun and wonderful.