Reflections From Our Guests

Thank you to our amazing guests for offering the following thoughts and reflections on our first Interfaith Table Event!

“As our country becomes more divided in politics, the importance of being able to understand different cultures becomes increasingly important. Attending Interfaith Table’s first event allowed me to personalize and learn about different religions and cultures from the source. One of the best parts about the organization is that the leaders of the discussion represented different religions. I found it interesting just how much everyone had in common regardless of their religious affiliation. One thing I did not know a lot about before this experience were the religions of Hinduism and Buddhism. I was surprised to learn that Hinduism is considered a monotheistic religion with God taking multiple forms and that Superman is Jewish. As someone who enjoys learning about different religions from a cultural prospective, I felt very welcome within the space. Although many of my friends in college practice different religions, it was nice to be able to discuss the meaning behind different holidays that were brought up through the trivia game. After the answer to each question was revealed, the leaders took the time to discuss each one which was very helpful. In addition, I learned about some religions that I did not know existed before this event. Overall, Interfaith Table had a successful first event and I hope to see an advertisement for another event soon.”

 – Hannah

 

“I really enjoyed the first Interfaith Table meeting. I’m not a religious person but religion fascinates me, so when I heard about the Interfaith Table I was interested in seeing what it was. Most of the meeting involved a conversation about everyone’s religious beliefs. The conversation was natural and didn’t feel forced at all. We talked about topics other than religion but then would seamlessly transition back to religious topics. We discussed how services in different religions worked, food in different cultures, and religious holidays such as Hanukkah and Diwali. After dinner, we did some religious trivia. The most interesting fact I learned was that Hinduism is a monotheistic religion. All the different Hindi Gods are really just different parts of one God. Overall I learned a lot and enjoyed the first Interfaith Table Meeting. And on a side note, the dinner provided was good as well.”

– Sean

 

“My first Interfaith Table Dinner was an eye-opening experience. I was raised in a Christian family within a vividly diverse town, and I grew up having Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, and Sikh friends. I am grateful to have grown up in such a vibrant community.

Because I grew up in an environment where acceptance of different cultures and religions was inherent, as I got older I stopped making an effort to learn more about my neighbors, and I became complacent with the limited knowledge I had of their beliefs and traditions.

The Interfaith Table dinner was an opportunity for me to rekindle my desire to learn about other religions, and overall it was an enlightening and genuinely fun event.

Something particularly interesting that I learned was that certain sects of Hinduism are monotheistic. One of my closest friends is Hindu, and he has always talked to me about his religion in the sense that it is polytheistic. I had always been under the impression that, because more than one god exists in Hinduism, it must be a polytheistic religion. However, as my new Hindu friend from the dinner explained, Brahman, the supreme energy of the universe that exists everywhere and in everything, encompasses all other Hindu deities. And in this sense, when Hindus worship any of their thousands of Gods, they are ultimately worshipping Brahman.

This was just one of the many new things I learned at my very first Interfaith Table dinner. I can’t wait for the next one!”

– Anthony

 

“At Penn State University, there are thousands of students who come to college with different beliefs, from different backgrounds, and different ideas and perspectives. Oftentimes, students are unable to experience the diversity at Penn State because we find ourselves surrounded by those who think similarly or have similar religions. It is easy to submerge yourself in the comfort of affinity and forget the world of unique perspectives on campus and in State College. The Interfaith Dinner reminded me of the diversity on campus. As students from different backgrounds and religions came together to share a delicious meal, we learned about the variations in our childhoods, and more importantly the similarities. As hungry college students, the topic quickly switched to food. We all laughed as we shared stories about our favorite meals, sweets, and desserts. Students talked about their favorite holiday traditions and shared parts of their cultures previously misunderstood. As I talked with my peers about their favorite Hanukkah traditions, I learned about the origins of the holiday and how my friend’s family celebrated it and how being separated from her family and friends was difficult. However, she gladly described how she was able to find communities on campus to help her honour her cherished traditions. While eating delicious lasagna and puff pastries, I learned about the diversity on campus and grew closer with my classmates.”

– Josie

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