Happy Trails

Dear English 110 Students,

You are taking a class that is much more than just your average English class. If you allow it to be, it can be a forum where you expand your understanding of others, develop your thinking and reasoning, and learn to engage in polite relevant discussion on important issues.

I knew I would enjoy this English class as soon as I read that we would be blogging as part of our assignments. If I could make one recommendation about staying on top of this class, it would be to print out the assignment schedule and put it in a place where you are likely to see it frequently. The due dates are a bit unconventional, and it can be easy to lose track of them, as they don’t always fall on class days.

Nothing could be a more relevant topic of discussion than the role of religion in society and media. Religion is at the forefront of every major debate alive in our world. If you invest your own personal opinions and beliefs in this class, you will find the assignments to be interesting and enjoyable. If you look at them as strictly classwork, however, they may start to seem a bit tedious.

I urge you to look at this class as an opportunity for growth and a stage for expression.

Good luck,

Erik Russell

I'm out of order! You're out of order!

Religion is not exactly a safe topic of conversation. Most people hold their religious views rather personally, and one must tread very carefully when broaching the subject in friendly conversation. This, however, does not mean that it is not a worthy topic of conversation. When I think back over the most memorable conversations I have ever had, I can’t help but notice that almost all of them dealt- at least lightly- with this subject.

My latest foray into religious discussion was couple of days ago with my roommate. I differ with him on a wide expanse of moral and spiritual issues; but he’s an intelligent guy and since meeting him the day after I unpacked this quarter I’ve wanted to hear his thoughts on the subject. I don’t believe that this country is necessarily broken down into conservatives and liberals, but the distinction works rather well in our case. I’m a Republican and a Baptist, I believe there are many absolute truths, and I believe wholeheartedly in the veracity of the Bible. My roommate, on the other hand, is a Democrat and a bit of an agnostic- though he was raised Catholic. He believes that most truth is relative and that we can know little for certain; he also believes that Christianity as a whole is a man-made religion and that much of the Bible is wildly inaccurate. We argued back and forth for a while, mainly about the evidence the universe presents us, but I try very hard not to be too pushy during such discussions and he did the same.

While I find it both informative and intriguing to hear differing opinions on religion and spirituality, I firmly believe in the power of a very real and personal God who governs this world we in habit. Nature, history, and human nature all point to a divine being, and the very idea of an omniscient creator suggests that he can be interacted with in ways specific to his personality and character. Our conversation didn’t exactly shift my paradigm, but I did learn some important things about liberal viewpoints. I have no time for idiots or people who mindlessly repeat what they have heard; but I always have time for an intelligently articulated position. He helped show me that a position very opposed to my own can make good logical sense. Though I believe his view of the world to be incomplete and incorrect, I respected the amount of consideration he had put into it. I don’t believe questions of religion can be resolved on an intellectual level and it is futile to try. Challenge the beliefs of others, but don’t make it your mission to change them. Influence can be much more effective than instruction

Erik

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"Discussion is an exchange of knowledge; argument is an exchange of ignorance" - Robert Quillen