World Religion Day
Every year, on the third Sunday in January we celebrate World Religion Day to appreciate and become aware of the many different faiths and how they practice their religion. Not only on this day but all year around, it is important to take time to be curious and educate ourselves about religions and their differences to appreciate and include others. To celebrate diversity and create action toward understanding others' faiths here at JMSU, we have talked to students and alumni about their faiths and how they practice religion.
Here at JMSU, we celebrate World Religion Day to appreciate our diverse student population on this day, but we also have multiple resources for students to find their religious communities. Currently, societies such as the Catholic Society, Christian Union, First Love, Gospel Choir, Islamic Society (ISOC), Jewish Society (JSOC) and Sikh Society are available for all LJMU students.
We reached out to both LJMU staff and students to learn more about their faith, why it's important to them and what it means to have faith.
“Aside from the 5 pillars, one of the fundamental values of Islam is community. Islam is not a religion of solitude, but rather servitude, where charity is an obligation upon all Muslims. Within Islam, small acts such as smiling (…) are considered charity. (…) Islam encourages us to always be mindful of one another, to protect one another and be kind to all - regardless of faith or background.” Explains Lila and Imaan, who are Muslim.
This is a similar notion to a member of the First Love Society, who told us previously that "with faith, it opens up [their] eyes, gives [them] vision and hope for a better day." These traits are so important to humankind, and it's amazing to see that religion will have such a positive impact on people - no matter their background or faith.
Our Sikh society told us that "My faith means a lot to me as it gives me guidance and purpose."
Comparably, our Jewish society explains that "Faith... is a spectrum. Every Jewish person will interpret faith differently... one aspect that will always remain the same is the pursuit of goodness."
Although, with religion often comes prejudice. Our Pagan Society members told us a while back that Paganism is a "misunderstood umbrella term for a huge collection of nature-based, often polytheistic, faiths from across the world! It means so much to our society to unite people who look to ancient faiths for guidance, as well as practitioners of witchcraft and anyone who labels themselves as 'spiritual'".
"Unfortunately, people often perceive Christians as judgemental." Our Christian Society members also told us. "In reality, we try to meet everyone with an open mind and practice kindness, as we believe that God has made everyone in a perfect way." Quite often, religion can be seen as a barrier to harmony amongst other religions, when our interviewees explained this isn't the case at all. Similarly, Imaan and Lila stated that " [One] misconception is that as Muslims, we are intolerant of other religions."
It's important to be mindful and respectful of all religions, and we encourage all of those who share different beliefs to celebrate one another. We must empower those and their beliefs from each and every culture, as diversity is what makes this university flourish. If you are passionate about religion, and want to learn more about the opportunities at JMSU, you can find links to each of our faith societies below, and how to create your own society here:
Catholic Society: https://www.jmsu.co.uk/groups/catholic-b762
Christian Union: https://www.jmsu.co.uk/groups/christian-union--6
First Love: https://www.jmsu.co.uk/groups/first-love-29df
Gospel Choir: https://www.jmsu.co.uk/groups/gospel-choir-bfde
Islamic Society (ISOC): https://www.jmsu.co.uk/groups/islamic-isoc-7da4
Jewish Society (JSOC): https://www.jmsu.co.uk/groups/jewish-jsoc-51c2
Sikh Society: https://www.jmsu.co.uk/groups/sikh-4607
Create your own!: https://www.jmsu.co.uk/get-involved/societies/start-a-group
✍Marie Coombs, JMSU Content Creator
