Impression of Local Religious Centers

The trip to the local religious centers had a big impact on how I look at things now. But it really didn't encourage me enough to change the way I look at religion. We took a trip to three different religious centers but the one the really had my attention was the Muslim people at the Al Huda Islamic Center. The Congregation of Children of Israel had the smallest impact on the way I would look at things and the Rabbi didn't really have anything to say that would make me want to be a Jew but i still respect him because of Loyalty to his religion and taking out the time to speak with us. The last place we stoped at of the day was at the St. Joseph Catholic Church to speak with Deacon Grutsch about the Catholic religion.

At the Al Huda Islamic Center Dr. Rasheed started his presentation by giving us a warm welcoming to his place of worshiping his religion. Dr. Rasheed next showed us into a room where you had to remove your shoes, then he place us in a square which every person has there own personal space where they pray. The Muslim people have a different way of praying compared to a lot of other religions that we are more familiar with in the United States, the Muslim people first get down on their knees then they place there heads down on the floor while still inside of the square and that's how they pray which is something that they do at least five times a day. These people also have standards that they have to meet for life once they reach puberty one of the standards are to fast , fasting has a couple of exemptions like if your elderly, and if you aren't fit and able to make your self participate in the fasting. Fasting is one of the practices that the Muslim people do, which is they don't eat or drink until a certain time of the day.

The second place that we stoped at was the Congregation of Children of Israel to speak with Rabbi Grutsch about Judaism. The Jewish people have a very different style of praying than any religion that I have heard of. The Jews place a certain type of hat like thing called yarmulke on their heads to pray. The Rabbi said the reason for placing the Yarmulke on their heads is because they think that is disrespectful to pray to their God without it, he said that it must be something between them and their God while praying. The Rabbi also read from an old scripture that is read once a week in Hebrew. The Jewish people unlike Christians worshiping day is on Friday rather than Sunday like most religions that I am familiar with other than the Muslims who also worship their God on Fridays too.

Last but not least we met with the Deacon of the Catholic Church. The Guy who we met with was a very nice and respectful person which you would expect that from a Deacon. The thing that amazed me the most in the catholic Church was how the stainless glass around the church had symbols of different moments in the Bible. The catholic people also interested me with fountains in the church that you must put your hands in before entering the church, the water is supposedly Holy water. The Catholic people also have stands that you can pull out once in the sitting area of the sanctuary used for kneeling down and praying that is another thing from alot of others that interested me.