IN-DEPTH 9 RELIgion at Westside Lance takes an in-depth look at the way religions, faiths Graphic by Nata Ward and belief systems affect the population at Westside. Religion at a glance An overview of major religions at Westside Story by Jim Schueneman and Steven Simon. photos by madigan brodsky STAFF MEMBER ROSE KENT Buddhism BELIEFS: A Buddhist does not necessarily believe in a deity or central power, but finds power through inner peace. They work towards a common goal of purity and eternal happiness. The name Buddhist comes from the founder and original teacher of this lifestyle, Buddha. PRACTICES: Rose Kent, a Westside staff member, who associates herself with some aspects of Buddhism said, I practice by striving for peace and happiness in life and living a lifestyle of calmness. The most important practice of most people who follow Buddhism is meditation which is used to promote being calm and at peace. MISCONCEPTIONS: Kent recognizes many misconceptions surrounding Buddhism. Kent said, Many people think of Buddhism as a religion, but [to me,] it s really a lifestyle. The reason Buddhism is not technically a religion is because Buddha, the founder of the religion, said people should not follow out of faith but rather examine themselves to see if his teachings are true for them. SOPHOMORE FISCHER DAVIS Christianity BELIEFS: Christians believe in one all-knowing God whose only Son, Jesus Christ, sacrificed himself, was crucified and was then resurrected in order to save all people from sin. Christians believe in the Old and New Testaments and follow God s Ten Commandments. PRACTICES: Sophomore Fischer Davis, a Catholic, practices his religion by attending a church service once a week, observing religious holidays such Christmas and Easter, and practicing the Seven Sacraments. Davis practices are very similar to the majority of Christians. MISCONCEPTIONS: Regarding misconceptions about Christianity, Davis said, Many people think that wrongdoings of Christians in the past reflect our beliefs or morals and that isn t a good representation. Some of these events that could be seen as wrongdoings of Christian people in the past include the ownership of slaves or other happenings such as the crusades. Christianity is a very prominent religion so it is generally understood. Even with this general understanding, a large portion of people do not understand that Christianity has thousands of different denominations, all with slightly different doctrines. FRESHMAN SARUP KUNWOR Hinduism BELIEFS: Hinduism is the oldest religion on the planet. One major belief of people who practice Hinduism is the belief that every being has a soul that is part of a Supreme Soul. Hindus also believe in reincarnation or that the soul travels to the body of another being after physical death. The final distinct belief of Hindus is Karma. Karma is the belief that the sum of a person s actions in their current life decides their future fate. PRACTICES: Freshman Sarup Kunwor observes his faith by taking part in the five basic practices of Hindus. These practices include daily worship, following dharma or religious ethics, observing rights-of-passage, celebrating holy days, and finally many of the Hindus that live in India make pilgrimages to holy sites. Some Hindus practice in different ways such as yoga, meditation or fasting. MISCONCEPTIONS: The first misconception about Hinduism is that it is only practiced in India. Hinduism is centered in India, but has spread to various regions around the world, including the United States and Nepal, the place where Kunwor was born. The most common misunderstanding about Hinduism is that it is a polytheistic religion or a religion that worships more than one God. In reality it is a pluralistic religion, meaning Hindus believe there is an unlimited number of ways to connect to God. FRESHMAN YOUSRA ABDULRAZIG Islam BELIEFS: Muslims believe in an all powerful God, along with angels to carry out God s messages. They may follow several writings, such as the Qur an, the Torah, the Scrolls, the Psalms and the Gospel. God is revealed by messengers, called prophets, of which 25 are known in the Qur an. Notable prophets include, Abraham, Moses, Noah, Jesus and, most notably, Muhammad, the founder of Islam. PRACTICES: Freshman Yousra Abdulrazig practices by visiting the mosque to pray, studying the Qur an, and doing the Islamic prayer ritual five times a day. Most Muslims do the five prayers each day along with observing religious holidays by fasting or giving to charity. Also, at least once in their lives it is mandatory that every Muslim take part in the Hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca, a holy site of Islam. MISCONCEPTIONS: A common misconception is that those who practice Islam are terrorists and are determined to cause chaos. With ISIS in the news, and memories of September 11 and the attacks on Paris, Americans sometimes associate Islam with terrorism, but really it is one of the largest religions in the world. In addition many people are under the misconception that Muslims believe strictly in the Qur an when in actuality they believe the Torah as well. SETH NORTON Judaism BELIEFS: People who practice the Jewish faith believe themselves to be descendants of Abraham and the Israelites. Jews believe that each person has a personal relationship with a single God. Those who practice Judaism live by the laws in a Holy book, the Torah. PRACTICES: Junior Seth Norton practices his religion by teaching beliefs to younger Jewish kids at religious school on Sundays and Wednesdays, as well as attending services at his temple. He also observes religious holidays like Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Due to the multiple variations of Judaism there are many different practices, some of these include keeping kosher or wearing a kippa. A kippa is a skullcap sometimes worn by Jewish men. MISCONCEPTIONS: Norton notices many misconceptions and generalizations about people that practice Judaism. Lots of people think that all Jewish people wear a kippa* or keep kosher but that s not really true. Another major misunderstanding regarding Judaism is that Jewish people worship a unique God, but in reality Christians and those who practice Judaism have beliefs in a common God.
10 IN-DEPTH THE FACTS AT WESTSIDE *Based on survey of approximately 250 students Infographic by Madigan Brodsky
IN-DEPTH 11 FRESH OUT OF FAITH Senior loses touch with religion, reconnects through church SENIOR LEVI DEVRIES Photo by Madigan Brodsky ABBY LANG MANAGING EDITOR FOR SHIELD By the time high school came around, senior Levi DeVries was done being the good Christian kid. He hated the way that people suddenly tried to act like they had their life together when they were around him. It became exhausting to keep putting on a show when he went to church. After a life of trying to follow all of the rules to be a good Christian, he began to wonder what a life without religion and rules would be like. For once in his life, he wanted to see what it was like to live for himself, doing whatever felt good. During this time, his grades slipped and his relationship with God was only a distant memory. With every weekend and party that had passed, all he was left with was an empty void in his life that no night, girl or bottle seemed to fill. I finally came to a point where I felt really empty and my life was without purpose, like Why am I going out every weekend? DeVries said. Am I going to spend the rest of my life just looking for another party to hit? There was this really big sense of emptiness and lack of purpose in my life. After DeVries hit rock bottom, it sickened him to realize how far he strayed away from the morals and beliefs that his parents instilled in him as a child. After being pushed by some of his church friends, he decided to attend his church s annual youth retreat, Unplugged. At Unplugged, all attendees left their phones at home and spent a weekend deepening their relationship with God. Going into the retreat, he had no idea that one worship service would change his life from that moment forward. In that moment [during the service], I knew that God was real and all those doubts and questions I had as a kid and as a middle-schooler and during freshman and sophomore year, like, Is this faith even real? Is God legit or is this just something my parents made up? It all went away, DeVries said, Then I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life seeking after and living a life for God. At the end of the retreat, DeVries knew that his life LEVI DEVRIES SENIOR would never be the same again. His partying, going out with girls, and sneaking out under his parents radar was over. In fact, once he got home from the retreat he walked straight towards his room and threw away his bottle of vodka he had been hiding in his closet and told his dad everything he had done. After the retreat I felt like a million bucks, DeVries said. I felt like when you get a new iphone and the possibilities are endless. I felt really good because my life had a sense of purpose and my purpose was to live a life for God. Recommitting his life to God allowed DeVries to realize that God isn t some far away idea or tyrant that wants to make his life difficult. Instead, he realized that God is here to help him through his struggles. His faith put fears like where he was going to college, how much money he had and what his friends thought of him to rest. He began to trust that God would take care of his needs and everything would fall into place. When I was away from my faith I felt a lack of When I was away from my faith, I felt a lack of reason to why I...existed. [I asked myself,] Is life really just about...making a lot of money?... Once I realized that [there was more] and embraced it, I didn t feel empty like I did before. reason to why I even existed, DeVries said. [I asked myself,] Is life really just about having a good time, going to the best college, getting married or making a lot of money? There is so much more to our existence and once I realized that and embraced it, I didn t feel empty like I did before. After rededicating his life to God, DeVries began seeking after God daily and praying for his classmates. He took on the role of president of Campus Connect, a club for Christians at Westside, and became actively involved in his church. By doing this he has been able to find peace within himself and deepen his spiritual life. I m not perfect and I still mess up, DeVries said, But I strive everyday to live a life for God. Just because I m a Christian doesn t mean I don t struggle like anyone else. God meets me in my imperfection and loves me anyway. TEENAGER, NOT TERRORIST Student speaks out about misconceptions towards her religion After 9/11, they asked her if she was Osama bin Laden s daughter. Junior Aya Abdulrazig ignored them. In middle school, the boys made fun of her hijab. They wore their own hijabs made of toilet paper and claimed they were just like Aya. Abdulrazig held her tongue. She wouldn t let them see it bothered her. In the high school cafeteria, they asked her if she was a part of ISIS. You see, Abdulrazig doesn t get it, but she wasn t going to start a fight. She just offered a calm smile and walked away. That s the only answer she could offer. You can t swoop down to their level, Abdulrazig said. So I just walked away. And yes, it does hurt, but you have to think, for us, our Prophet went through so much just to get us to this point of life. NATA WARD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AYA ABDULRAZIG To Abdulrazig, the comments are offensive. To be associated with such a violent group because of the way she looks is something that makes her heart hurt. She can t even correct them, because based on past experience, she believes it would have no affect. People never really take me serious [when I try], Abdulrazig said. Even if I did try to explain to them, they would believe the media over one person who told them something else. Particularly since 9/11, the media has portrayed Muslims in a negative light, portraying ISIS for the most part as representative of the entire religion. But in reality, the relationship between ISIS and Islam is similar to the KKK and Christianity. A lot of people [argue,] Oh, [but] Osama bin Laden was Muslim, Abdulrazig said. But nothing says in the holy book to kill another person, and [nothing] says it s okay if you do it under Nothing says in the holy book to kill another person and [nothing] say it s okay if you do it under God s name. God s name. Senior Hadiah Kedwaii is also worried in the wake of recent attacks by ISIS that stereotypes will increase. Recently, two FBI agents came to her mosque to hold informative sessions about hate crimes and internet terrorism. I get that we should be informed about hate crime laws so people know what to report, Kedwaii said. But why are they telling specifically our masjid [mosque]? Muslims are the ones who most commonly are the victims of hate crimes. So it almost feels like a kid takes away your toys and you get talked to because the other kid did that. To Kedwaii, the situation could have been handled better. To her knowledge, no other religious communities have been chosen to have the presentation, and it makes her feel like Muslims are being singled out. I don t assume every Christian or Jew or anyone else who walks in the room is violent so I only ask for the same courtesy, Kedwaii said. Just because Muslims look different and think a little differently doesn t mean that we re to be feared. Recently, her mosque was targeted by non- Muslims who threw rocks at the windows and broke the glass doors. Annually, there are 100-150 hate crimes carried out against Muslims, making hate crimes against Muslims the second largest percentage making up hate crimes against religions according to data released this year, Monday, Nov. 16 by the FBI. I believe [for] any religion there are different interpretations, Kedwaii said. You can choose to look at the good or you can choose to twist it into bad. But I think there are way more people who take Islam as a peaceful religion than not. Both Abdulrazig and Kedwaii ask for people to keep in mind that ISIS is an extremist group, and not representative of Islam itself. For Abdulrazig, Islam is a source of peace and has allowed her to get through many hardships. It promotes good will and charity. [Islam says that if] you see someone getting bullied, and you know it s not right you go ahead and step in or you go report it, Abdulrazig said. If you see a homeless, try to help them out...be respectful with all people, no matter if they re black, white, Christian, Jewish. She practices all traditional values for Islam, including wearing a hijab and praying five times a day. Abdulrazig used to pray in a classroom before school started, but she has been unable to this year. I used to [pray at school] when they allowed, when one of the teachers allowed us to pray in her room, Abdulrazig said. Since that teacher moved on to another school, no other teacher was willing to open up their doors. However, Abdulrazig is not deterred. Although not many people at school can relate to the problems associated with people s view of her religion, Abdulrazig has a support system at home and at her mosque. Her mosque offers a youth group for girls, and this is where Abdulrazig feels at home. The girls there understand, and they know what [Muslims] go through on a daily basis, Abdulrazig said. Because usually, [people] single us out. And when we re there, everyone is the same When I walk into a classroom, it s majority white people and then I walk in and there s just the one person who is wearing a scarf. You look at their faces and you wonder, you know, what are they actually thinking? They may be smiling, but they might be saying something in their head. So that s always been [on my] conscious, but I try not to let it affect me. Because I m [wearing the hijab] for me, and I m not doing it for other people. Abdulrazig would just like people to correct their negative views of the religion that has offered her so many good things. If I didn t believe so much in the religion and if I didn t leave everything to God s hand, I know I wouldn t [be as strong], Abdulrazig said. I would probably take off the scarf [after high school] and be a completely different person, [but I m not going to] [Society] puts Islam under a bad name and not under the peaceful religion that it is. AYA ABDULRAZIG Photo by Madigan Brodsky
12 IN-DEPTH Lack of religion Breaking the stigma behind atheism and agnosticism Protestant Down 5% Catholic 1% Down ALEXANDER BERGIN OPINON EDITOR Graphic by Mitch Francis Agnostic Up 1.2% Atheist 0.8% Up *Trends in religious affiliation in America from 2007-2011. APRIL VAN UNEN STAFF WRITER During the holiday season, most people have a religion they honor with a holiday like Hanukkah or Christmas. Yet there are some of us that don t celebrate a religion or honor their gods. We may celebrate our family or friends, or we may not celebrate at all. We are atheists, and not much is known about us. It s time for that to change. In this predominantly Christian society, being openly atheist is not the easiest thing. We aren t represented very well in society, so many of us grow up believing what our parents taught us to believe. Families depicted on TV or on billboards, especially around this time of year, celebrate holidays, experience miracles from their god in holiday episodes, or find warmth in their family through the power of belief. Then when we grow up and investigate religions for ourselves, we find that none of them are for us. There are different types of Atheists as well. Although the term Atheist refers to a person with a lack of belief in a God or gods, this does not mean that different atheists act in different ways. Some Atheists continue to celebrate their native holidays in a different way. Instead of making Christmas about Jesus Christ, they may focus more on appreciating their family or how lucky they are to have their friends. Others simply exist in a none state, meaning that they do not celebrate holidays or participate in anything regarding religion. They are not against people that are religious; they just simply prefer not to participate. There are also Atheists that are against religion all together. They outwardly attack religion and some of the morals that different religions focus on. Atheism has been on the rise in recent years, especially among young people. According to Barna, 34 percent of skeptic people are young people under the age of 30. It is becoming more accepting in young society to believe how you want to and branch off from the religions your parents have taught you. For some it is not so easy to be open about religion. In most religious families, it is encouraged that you believe the same as your family before you. Sometimes in these families you could be punished for believing differently, or sometimes worse, not believing at all. In my home I had to do everything but tie myself to a door to not be forced to go to church. This can cause a riff in the family unit. The world does not know a lot about those of us that don t identify with a religion, but our population is growing. In a world where acceptance is to be expected, informing people about this way of life sets our society up to be a more open and meaningful place. There are roughly 4,200 religions throughout the world. For those who are searching, finding the right one to follow can be hard. This is especially hard when it comes to religions we don t hear about in our everyday lives like the lesser-known belief system of agnosticism, which is often confused with atheism. Biologist and author of 8 published books on spirituality, Thomas Henry Huxley coined the word agnostic in 1869. He describes agnostics as someone who believes based on our best scientific understanding of the universe. This means that until there is no yes or no answer to the question of is there a god then there is no way to claim you are right. It [agnosticism] is a less dogmatic form of atheism, holding that one can neither prove nor disprove god, said Henry M. Morris, from the Institute of Creation Research. Growing up agnostic is hard because for a long time I didn t know there was even a word for what I believed. I always described my beliefs to people as, I believe in a god, but I don t know which one or if I m even right. With the creationism vs. evolutionism argument growing, agnostics will sway to whichever side has more scientific evidence behind it. With the rise of science disproving religion, the numbers for these types of religious groups are growing. Atheism and agnosticism are categorized under unaffiliated although agnosticism still believes in the possibility of a god. Reasons like this are why my parents weren t too sure about letting me call myself agnostic. Their Christian friends viewed it the same as atheism and tried to say I had lost touch with God. I ve spent time studying several of the larger religions in an attempt to find one that suits me best, but all I found were several new religions I didn t completely agree with. Finally, when I was 10 years old, I heard about agnosticism. Agnosticism first became prevalent in ancient Greece known as a more common word skepticism. It was thought to be very philosophical to be an agnostic. Huxley studied the possibility of a god in depth and sums up agnosticism in one journal entry: I neither affirm nor deny the immortality of man. I see no reason for believing it, but on the other hand, I have no means of disproving it. A not-so-merry christmas The holiday season revealed from a Jewish junior s point of view Graphic by Bella Radler BELLA RADLER FEATURE EDITOR When I was in sixth grade, my mother s side of the family decided it was about time they invited my Jewish immediate family to their annual Christmas party. I had gotten my hopes up, expecting the kind of gathering that you see in the movies, with lights and laughter and well awesome presents. I was sorely disappointed when I sat around a Christmas tree with all of my cousins, pretending to be happy for them as they each received a present from Santa. As the presents under the tree grew fewer and fewer and the present stacks besides my cousins increased, so did my sadness. I had felt that my own family was punishing me for my religious views. To my dismay, I did end up getting one present. I was so excited when my aunt picked up a box under the Christmas tree, and with all eyes on me, I unwrapped the gift. With ripped wrapper all over the ground, and a Jewish book in my hand, a fake smile appeared on my face. I knew that you re supposed to thank your gift-giver immensely when you expose what s under all of the wrapping paper, but all I could come up with at the time was, I already own this book. Of course this is not the entirety of my annual Christmas experiences. Most of my Dec. 25s are spent in the comfort of my own bedroom, watching a movie (no, not a Christmas movie) and shoving vegetable fried rice down my throat. I usually avoid social media, since the posts of what people received for Christmas make me feel left out. Hanukah is a holiday that is often perceived as the Jewish version of Christmas, due to the time of year and the gift-giving traditions. Originally Hanukah never included giving a gift every night. According to my Rabbi, the tradition began in imitation of Christmas as Jewish children were feeling left out from all of the presents Christian children were receiving. Hanukah is still a lot different than what I imagine Christmas to be. Our eight nights of presents include, as comedian Jon Stewart says, one nice one, then a week of trash. The quantity of presents we receive is only in attempt to make Jewish American children feel less inferior during the time of Christmas. Another confusing aspect of Hanukah is how to spell it. Channukah? Two Ns? One N? We don t even know. When I was young, my mom would make bags of treats for all our friends with Hanukah written in big puffy-paint letters on the front, and I m not messing with you when I say that she spelled it differently every year with no questions raised. Being Jewish during Christmas time was the hardest when I was a young girl. In elementary school I would have to keep my mouth shut as my friends talked for hours about the Santa Claus who spoiler alert I knew didn t exist. Occasionally, I would burst my preschool friends dreams and tell them the truth about this Santa Claus they believed in. Thank goodness they never believed me when I told them about how the bearded man in the mall was not actually from the North Pole. Looking back on it now I realize I was just a jealous lil Jew. They would brag about their wish-list filled with what seemed to be millions of fantastic things. I felt left out. I wanted to wake up Christmas morning with the feeling that I only see portrayed in holiday films; instead, I wake up on that particular day with no feeling new to me from the day before. Christmas is very different to me now. I am no longer jealous of others who get to experience this; I m just annoyed for the entire December month. The songs on the radio and the endless commercials will always be obnoxious. As well as the decorations in every store and house reminding me of the majority religion in America. Luckily, I ll be able to get away from all of this for a year. I m spending my 2015 Christmas in Israel, the homeland of the Jews. The experience will be worldly different from what I am used to; I hope to not see a single red light, or Christmas tree for that matter. It will be nice spending the end of the year in a country that s consumerism isn t invested solely in a holiday. I will be missing the main event, but at least I will still be here in time to be involved in all of the music, decorations and over played commercials!