Week of faith
returns to campus
By Joi Harris
Staff Reporter

Uniting Campus Ministries is giving people campus wide the opportunity to learn about and understand other faith traditions without sacrificing their personal religion.

After a two-year absence, the week of faith has been revived by UCM. Week of faith participants will be able to learn about Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and sects of Christianity excluding Catholicism and Protestantism using the five senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, taste.

Though many people despise anything to do with education outside of the classroom, Kathy Katona, the faith education chairwoman for UCM, said the whole premise behind week of faith is about “ignorance displacement.”

“It’s about learning about other religions and faiths so as you become a member of this ‘global society’ that TCU talks so much about, you’re not judging anybody and making false accusations about what someone else believes,” said Katona, a junior religion major. “You’ll actually know something about it.”

A display table will be set up from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day except Wednesday in the Student Center Lounge. The display will range from informational pamphlets about the showcased religion of the day to prayer rugs participants can touch and foods they can eat specific to the religion’s worshipers.

Rev. John Butler, the university minister, said Sodexho/Marriott Services will also serve representative foods of the day’s highlighted religion in the international foods section of The Main.

Diana Awde, a junior computer science and political science major, worked the Islam table Monday. She said it’s important for there to be more communication between faiths, especially after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington.

“Everybody blames the clashes in the world on religion, but nobody realizes how alike they really are,” Awde said.

She said she wants people to know Islam is similar to both Christianity and Judaism, and instead of rejecting the two religions Islam actually builds on them.

Tonight, week of faith participants can see and hear Tsering Migyur, a Tibetan Buddhist and Indian businessman, speak on religious freedom.

Migyur, born of a wealthy and influential family in Tibet, fled with his family to India when the Chinese invaded Tibet. They walked more than 200 miles across the Himalayan Mountains before they made it to their new home. He is traveling across the state and telling the story of his family’s journey throughout October.

“The week of faith is the opportunity to learn about faith traditions other than our own and integrate those experiences into a helpful and inspirational event,” Butler said.