By Jaya Todai
Valley Voice Staff Writer
A Girls Preparatory School assembly opens with a Psalm, then “Please pray with us” says the speaker as the assembled students bow their heads and fold their hands in their laps. Junior Saba Munir, a Muslim, listens to the prayer but mentally replaces the uttered word “Jesus” with “Allah.”
During the occasional prayer during GPS’ daily assembly, Saba said, she bows her head out of respect for the speaker’s religion.
“I don’t say anything out loud,” she said. “In my mind, I say my own thing … at the end of the prayer, I use ‘ameen’ (amen).”
Because of the deep-rooted intensity of religious belief, teens have a wide variety of opinions about religious expression, both in and out of the classroom.
Maria Stratienko, a GPS senior, does not bow her head during prayers because, she said, she is still unsure of her beliefs.
“Sometimes, I get worried that others think I am insensitive of what speakers are saying … but I am thinking about what (is being said),” Maria said. “ I still agree, mainly, with the sentiments they are expressing.”
Fiona Battersby, a senior at Chattanooga Center for Creative Arts, attended Notre Dame her freshman and sophomore years.
Although she’s Catholic, Fiona said her views didn’t always parallel those of mainline Catholicism. Fiona said she recalled being chastised during a religion class at Notre Dame for her belief in karma, which is a tenet of many Eastern religious philosophies.
“I never really spoke up about my beliefs (in class) after that,” she aid.
At the Center for Creative Arts, Fiona said, the “artistic nature of the school” contributes to students’ tolerance and eagerness for embracing individuality in all things, including religious belief.
However, Sarah McGill, a junior at Hixson High School, said she feels that having her beliefs challenged helped to strengthen her religious identity as a Christian.
“The hate Christians will be subjected to is mentioned (in the Bible),” she wrote, in an e-mailed response. “If you’re not very set in your own beliefs … fear can make (you) crazy.”
McCallie sophomore Brian Mu said religion as a topic of discussion doesn’t have to be uncomfortable, but a few people approach the subject with too many preconceptions.
“Religion shouldn’t be touchy,” he said, “A good number of people are rational and open-minded about it.”
The Rev. Mike Feely of St. Andrews Center, an ecumenical outreach center on Union Avenue, suggested that more schools need classes that study world religions.
“We don’t teach any of that at school because we’re afraid of ticking someone off,” he said. “Being tolerant and being respectful do not mean being ignorant.”
For Cole Carvour, a senior at Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences, a study of world religions during a sophomore history class helped him to appreciate religious diversity and find personal spiritual connections to other faiths.
“I had always seen (the East Asian religions) lumped together,” he said. “But when I really got down into them, I thought they were all really interesting and played into some of my beliefs as well.”
Although Mr. Feely supports including a world-religions course in school curriculums, he said simply listening can be a key to understanding for teens and adults alike.
“Really neat religious folks are often quieter because they are listening,” Mr. Feely said. “There is a lot of humility involved in getting to know someone’s beliefs.”
Even if he isn’t speaking, Jon Williams, a freshman at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, said the way he lives his life is a testament to his beliefs.
“Hopefully, my actions and how I treat others would say more about my religion than words,” he said.
Jaya Todai is a student at Girls Preparatory School.
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