The College Culture Essay Example for Free

The College Culture EssayOne of my most distinct char interpreteristics is that I am a Born Again Christian. macrocosm a Christian is a way of breeding non just a set of practices. My faith defines who I am and dictates my actions. Being a Christian influences how I speak, what clothes I wear and what activities I engage in. Our church is an evangelistic church and so were encouraged to invite muckle to church activities. One goal of this need is to determine place how an outsider receives these invitations. It ordain also be found out what factors determine the non-Christians result to such invitations.Being a Christian has changed how I act in situations and most people I know let adjusted to my principles. Some hold in also generalized my in-person principles such that when they accumulate other Christians they put up the latter will act the akin way as I do in a given situation. Thus another aim of this study is to bump the effect that actions with Christi ans has on the perception of Christians as a whole. In order to achieve these goals interviews will be undertaken one with a person practicing a variant religion and another with a person with no professed religion.The interview will start with a discussion of what, in the interviewees perspective, is a Christian. Questions pertaining to how Christians may be differentiated from non-Christians will also be lea sufferd. This will be followed by whether or not the interviewee has ever been invited to a Christian gathering origin onlyy and how he or she responded to this invitation. Next, the interviewee will be asked to relate a memor satisfactory accept with a Christian. Fin bothy, the interviewee will be asked to assess lay downd on his interactions with Christians how he c every backs Christians perceive non-Christians of the same religious belief or non-belief as him.It must be borne in mind that the interview itself world power be misconstrued as a means to invite the non- Christian to church. The interviewee of another religion may in time become defensive and this would confound the answers given. Therefore, from the tone-beginning it should be made clear that the mean of the interview is to improve Christians relations with non-Christians and to correct both Christian practices which promote negative impressions. As Patton stated in his work, an interviewer must be able to build faith at the onset of the interview and the purpose for the interview must be made clear to the interviewee (1987).The yield of religion isnt so much a welcomed concept particularly because of the rivalry and conflicts that have arisen for the pursuit of religion. In order to prevent the interviews from organism another venue for such arguments, a collaborative nestle will be encouraged through the research. As it has been emphasized in other studies, research isnt a means to exploit the other rather it is a means to reach a in re stoop beneficial inference regar ding overlapping interactions of different cultures (Fitzgerald 2005 de Munk Korotayev 2000). Analysis of Interview MaterialInterviews were conducted with two non-Christians (see Appendix A and B). As was indicated to the respondents, this research has been conducted in order to improve interactions of Christians with non-Christians. As has been discussed by past times researchers, a cross-cultural study should benefit not just the researcher but also the person studied (Gibbs 2001). The rattling essence of collaborative research is that all parties to the study are benefitted by the findings. Such a conclusion may be reached through the results of the present study. The responses of the respondents may be classified into several dimensions.The first is how past interactions with Christians have affected the respondents perception of Christians. One respondent showed that a positive know with a workmate allowed him to see Christians in a better light. Despite having had m whatev er negative experiences with Christians, a positive personal experience with several Christians was able to lessen his negative impression of Christians in general. On the other hand, the other respondent whose personal experience with Christians was negative has now generalized the impression and applied it to all Christians.Therefore, the personal experience with Christians is more important in forming an impression of what a Christian is. However, for persons with deep-rooted biases against Christians due to external factors, such as intercultural conflict, the personal experience moreover tempers the bias but doesnt altogether eliminate it. This is the instance with the Moslem respondent interviewed. It must therefore be asked what qualifies as a positive experience. In the gaffe of the Moslem respondent, the positive experience consisted of the Christian stressing to figure the formers religion.It dissolve be seen from the assist appended interview that one of the reason s wherefore a negative impression was held of Christians is because I leave them alone to gestate what they insufficiency. They could at least extend the same courtesy. This shows that the respondent also hopes for some leeway from the Christians she encounters. Furthermore, when asked how she felt regarding being invited to her mothers Christian gatherings, the respondent showed that she felt irritated because she had already made it clear that she didnt wish to go.From the above, it deal be seen that a first step towards a positive impression is a manifestation of tolerance on the part of the Christian. This tolerance required in cross-cultural interactions of religions aids in the facilitation of interactions amongst their subcultures (de Munck Korotayev 2000). This is important particularly since the growing complexity of society ensures that the religious cultural units will interact in one regard or another. However, as evidenced by the Moslem respondent, this tolerance is not sufficient to overcome the in-bred conflicts that religious differences have fostered between cultural units.Therefore, a greater level of spirit between cultures is necessary in order to bridge the gap between religions. In order that this skill be achieved the respondents reflect some insight. The agnostic respondent stated, But the fact is that they cant justify why they recall what they do. They cant even explain half of whats written shovel in in the Bible. The Moslem respondent on the other hand stated, But there are those who calculate to know near the love that their savior taught. I have no problem being friends with people like that. The above statements show that Christians need to know astir(predicate) the foundation of their own faith in order to be able to preach it to others. A failure to encounter their own religion comes crosswise to non-Christians as insincerity. This insincerity renders the religion in itself doubtful. Non-Christians would thus be even more unwilling to perk up about a religion which was understood and misapplied by its own followers. Finally, the interview shows that in order that Christians might become more effective in interacting with non-Christians they should be able to engage in a bottom-up process.What normally occurs when Christians invite other people is that they become imposing yet they foolt launch the effort to understand the factors which the person being invited must consider before giving a response to the invitation. In order that they would be able to connect with the person being invited they must be able to understand how the other perceives them as Christians. The Moslem respondent stated, I speak out they think the same we do about them. That we are ravish in our belief. I think that a lot of Americans are triskaidekaphobic of Moslems though. This shows that he believes that Christians are as stubborn in their belief as he is. Therefore, an invitation from them would mean an a ttempt at conversion. Being a firm believer of Islam, he would of course say no as he would have no desire to be converted. Therefore, the Christian should be able to explain to the non-Christian the purpose of the invitation, particularly if it is for the reason simply of being able to get to know the other person better. In answer to the question of how she felt when being invited, the agnostic respondent was able to intone a equivalent response, Annoyed.I mean, they just tangle witht attend to get a clue. If I wanted to go to church Id do it without any prodding. This shows that the method being employed by the Christian mother was no wanter effective. In fact, it hadnt been effective for a long time already. And yet, she didnt change her approach or try to talk with her daughter in a more personal manner in order to understand the daughters aversion to religion. The respondents gave answers regarding how they defined what a Christian was. In both answers it is evident that they perceive Christianity as a set of practices and rituals.The essence of Christianity as a lifestyle and as a relational interaction was lost to them. Having learned about their experiences with Christians, it isnt surprise that they feel this way. Its clear therefore from this study that in order to improve cross-cultural interactions between Christians and non-Christians a more personal interaction should be encouraged. This interaction should be imbued with a sense of tolerance for the other and a desire to understand the situation and motives of such other. References De Munck, V. A.Korotayev (2000), Cultural Units in cross-cultural Research, Ethnology, 39(4), 335-448. Fitzgerald, T. (2005), Cross-Cultural Research Principles Partnerships, Management in Education, 19(1), 17-20. Gibbs, M. (2001), Toward a Strategy for Undertaking Cross-Cultural Collaborative Research, Society and natural Resources, 14, 673-687. Patton, M. Q. (1987), How to Use Qualitative Methods in Evaluat ion, CA Sage Publications. Appendix A Interview with a non-Christian practicing a different religion Interviewer Good afternoon. First, thank you for agreeing to meet me for this interview.Before we begin I just want to remind you that the purpose of this study is to better understand the interactions of Christians with members of other religions. Your answers will be used only for the purpose of this study and for no other purposes. Having state that, are you willing to participate in this study? Respondent Yes. I Thank you. First lets start with some information about you. Is there a religion that you practice? R Im a Moslem. I How long have you been a Moslem? R Well, I was born into a Moslem family so I can say that I have been practicing my faith since I was born.I In your perspective, how would you define a Christian? R Well, Christians are people who believe that Jesus is God and not Allah. We Moslems also believe in Jesus but he is only a prophet and only Allah is God. I suc k up you ever interacted with Christians? R Of course. Most people here are Christians and so I have to plough and talk with them e actually day. I Have you ever been invited to attend a Christian gathering? R I work with some Christians who have once or twice asked me to go to an activity or concert. I Did you go with them? R No. Its not allowed in Islam to acknowledge other gods.I dont see the point of going anyway. It would be a lie for me to pretend to believe what they would say there. I How did you feel when you were invited? R It was a little awkward. I didnt understand why they would want to. Its not like I would go with them. But at least they dont give me a hard time about being a Moslem. I ar there Christians who do? R Sure. Its not new. There are really those types. I Thats inte looseninging because I also wanted to find out how you think Christians view Moslems. How do you think Christians view Moslems? R I think they think the same we do about them. That we are wrong in our belief.I think that a lot of Americans are afraid of Moslems though. Everyone depends to be afraid well turn into Osama Bin Laden or something. I Thank you for sharing that. Id like to ask you now about some personal experiences youve had with Christians. Is there any particular instance, good or bad, that you divided with a Christian that sticks out from your other interactions? R I remember this one guy at work, the same guy who invited me to that concert at their church, he asked me once about Islam and he seemed genuinely interested. He tried finding similarities between Islam and Christianity.He was pretty nice. He just struck me as different from most Christians and I appreciated that he tried to understand my religion and didnt just base his impression on what other people were saying. I Alright, youve been very responsive so I have only one last question left. As a whole, how would you describe Christians? R Well, most Christians dont know their own religion. There are some who take it too far and they can be really condescending. But there are those who seem to know about the love that their Jesus taught. I have no problem being friends with people like that.I Respondent that concludes our interview. Thank you very much for your time. Appendix B Interview with a non-Christian without any professed religion Interviewer Good morning. First, thank you for agreeing to meet me for this interview. Before we begin I just want to remind you that the purpose of this study is to better understand the interactions of Christians with members of other religions. Your answers will be used only for the purpose of this study and for no other purposes. Having said that, are you willing to participate in this study? Respondent Sure. I Thank you.Lets start with some information about you. Is there any religion that you practice? R I dont exactly believe in organized religion. I Was there any religion that you used to practice? R Well, we used to say a prayer a t the dinner mesa before dinner. But that was a long time ago. I just dont see the need to anymore. I Alright. Well, as I told you earlier, the focus of this interview is Christians and their interactions with others. So to start off, how would you define a Christian? R Well, Christians are people who read the Bible, believe in God, pray, sing praise songs, all that.I Have you ever been invited to a Christian gathering or activity? R Sure. My mom used to make me go to church with her. She hasnt stopped pestering me about it yet. I Do you ever go? R Not since I could say no without getting grounded. I why dont you? R Like I said, I dont see the purpose. I mean look at my dad, he doesnt go and hes alright. If prayer is all there is to it then my mom is probably praying enough to save all of us. It just doesnt seem important. I How does it make you feel when youre invited? R Annoyed. I mean, they just dont seem to get a clue.If I wanted to go to church Id do it without any prodding. B esides, if God were real then they wouldnt have to work so hard to make the rest of us believe in Him. It all just seems like a whole bunch of oral fissure service. It gets tiring. I Its very helpful that youre talking about your family and how they are active in practicing Christianity. But apart from your family have you had any other interactions with Christians? R Sure. Theyre all the same. Preachy. When you ask them about why theyre doing it though it all boils down to cop-out faith.Who can argue with that? I Is there any particular experience youve had with a Christian that strikes out? R I have this housemate whos all about religion. She keeps leaving little cards with psalms on them in my things. I just find it a little irritating that she cant just accept that I dont do that kind of thing. I The interview is going well so far so I only have one last question. How do you describe Christians in general? R Well, Christians can be really devout about their faith and about havi ng other people believe the same thing.But the fact is that they cant explain why they believe what they do. They cant even explain half of whats written down in the Bible. Even worse, they cant understand that other people just dont want to believe the same things that they do. I mean, its not that I hate god. I just dont believe he exists. And they act like that makes me the worst scum on earth. I leave them alone to believe what they want. They could at least extend the same courtesy. I Thank you so much. Your responses have been really helpful. That concludes our interview.