I have been going to
Catholic school my entire life, so honestly I feel that I learned a lot before
coming to Loras. However, at Loras I have been exposed to people of different
religions and backgrounds. In High School most of my fellow students were the
same religion as me, but in college that number is less. I have learned that
not everyone views religion the same way that I do, and that other religions
have interesting beliefs. But just because those beliefs are interesting does
not make them wrong. I have learned to respect and value other people's beliefs
even if they are different than my own.
I think that Catholic
college education puts a focus on learning and serving. Education is one thing,
but helping other people in the community is just as important. Unless we are
able to apply our knowledge to the rest of the world, learning is pointless.
Learning something means nothing if we do not take it out into daily life.
However, I can’t compare Catholic education to a non-Catholic education because
a Catholic education is all I have ever known. I never went to public school so
I can’t compare the two. I am thankful that I went to Catholic school because
it helped me stay connected to my faith. Growing up my faith started to become
less and less important to me and I may have lost it all together had I not
been surrounded by people whose faith ran deep.
Austin,
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your blog and comparing other areas of our lives, it seems almost scary to me how similar we are. Between our education, employment, and activities we have both partaken in at Loras, we seem to have a great deal in common. As I stated in my blog, I too come from a Catholic school background and feel the same way about education here. I also believe that we have learned a great deal about different religions that is invaluable when entering the workplace. That said, I think the one thing that is comparable between Catholic schools and public schools is the role religion plays. I do not need to go to the University of Iowa to find out that they do not value a center faith the same way we do here.
I agree! Loras does a good job of teaching us more about the importance of diversity and spirituality more than just about Catholicism. From here, I think I've gained a lot as well. I, too, was educated at Catholic schools my whole life, so I wasn't terribly interested in learning more about it when I came here. But I was incredibly excited when the emphasis of religion was different from my earlier education. I was just explaining it to someone the other day, in elementary/high school the religion is put in a bubble, given specific parameters. But in college the borders of Catholicism are much more fluid, as we meet people with different perspectives and ways to practice this religion every day.
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