About a week ago, I found myself sitting around a table with
a group of Georgetown seniors reflecting on how we have experienced the
university’s Jesuit values. While we started with the idea of attending a
Catholic institution, we very quickly agreed that it was Georgetown’s promotion
of interreligious dialogue and understanding, not simply an emphasis on
Catholic faith, that brought about such a strong commitment to being men and
women for others or practicing a cura
personalis style of education.
As a group, we came from very different faith traditions and
identified in diverse ways—Catholic, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Protestant,
agnostic, Baptist—but Georgetown had given us the chance to realize the
importance of our shared values, rather than our sometimes contradictory
beliefs. As one of the students reflected, “I think what was most important for
me to realize was that, sure, we come from different places and go to different
churches, but we all value treating others with compassion and respect.” By facilitating
conversations like the ones we were having through forums like Senior Capstone,
the Senior Ignation Seminar, fireside chats with the Jesuits, and
Chaplain-in-Residence programming, Georgetown creates an environment in which
students can reflect on and evaluate their own beliefs in a communal setting.
I’ve
always said I didn’t leave my “Problem of God” class any more Catholic than I had
been, but I gained an understanding not only of what others believed but also of
why I believe what I do. While we
never had to defend our beliefs, we were exposed to multiple faith traditions
and the philosophical arguments and questions surrounding religion in general.
Professor Theresa Sanders gave our class the chance to read texts from diverse
sources and analyze them in a respectful and intellectually rigorous setting. While
I came into class with fourteen years of Catholic school education and
extensive knowledge of the Bible and the catechism, I had an opportunity to
read Jewish midrashim, Summa Theologica, and the Bhagavad Gita alongside
philosophical texts from thinkers like Kant, Freud, and Nietzsche. I left the
class with a profound appreciation of the diversity of thought that existed,
not just in some abstract concept of the “wider world,” but within the gates of
Georgetown itself. Each day I was impressed by my fellow students and left with
a deep respect for their faith commitments.
Talking
to students at other universities, I have found that this sort of experience is
something that makes Georgetown unique, even among other religiously affiliated
universities. Rather than simply allowing for and hoping that these sorts of
conversations will happen, Georgetown carves out a space for them and actively
works to promote interreligious understanding. So now, as a senior reflecting
back with my classmates, I feel well equipped to enter into a diverse world, to
have these sorts of challenging conversations, and to practice active
introspection to ensure that my understanding of others and myself does not end
when I walk out those gates in three months.
