My Gateway issue is Religious Based Communities. Religion is something that affects everyone from the most devout believer to the most cynical atheist. The same can be said of the communities formed around these ideas of religion. For those involved, these communities can provide a safe space to worship, a place to learn about and study their religion, a chance to socialize with others of their faith, and ultimately a sense of belonging. Those outside of the community are still affected by these communities – According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more people volunteered for religious organizations than for any other type of organization. The community service these volunteers took part in certainly affected the lives of those outside the religious community.
While many of these religious groups have a strong, positive impact, religious organizations have been facing an increasing amount of backlash because of groups like the Family Leader and the Westboro Baptist Church. The Family Leader’s involvement in politics, especially their stances on gay marriage and abortion, has caused some controversy. During the 2012 election, candidates who signed The Marriage Vow Pledge were given the Family Leader’s endorsement but some unfortunate lines from the pledge left it unpopular. Then there’s the Westboro Baptist Church who make even the Family Leader look moderate. Their pickets at the funerals of soldiers killed in combat made them infamous and overall they have conducted over 50,000 pickets nationwide. Their website, godhatesfag.com, also has a running tally of how many people have been sent to hell since the page was loaded. On a less extreme level, there’s the argument that religious communities shelter people, especially children, from the real world.
My goal for the term is to get a variety of perspectives and experiences from people of different faiths and backgrounds. Some of my potential sources include: a group of Zen Buddhists who live in a temple, a Christian youth group, a Jewish fraternity, a Mormon missionary and the Muslim Student Association on campus. Eugene is such an active, diverse community that I don’t think finding stories worth telling will be my issue.
And this is my favorite picture that my research has turned up so far:
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