Welcome to the religious studies world at Huston-Tillotson.  Many of us love to think about religion and to explore the world’s religious diversity.  Often, we go as a group to visit local religious communities, or we get together to discuss an extremely important religious issue.

 Let me talk about a few of the religious studies gatherings lately.  Most recently a group of around 20 HT students attended an Muslim Iftar at the University of Texas, Austin.  An Iftar is a meal that Muslims participate in with friends and family after a day of fasting during Ramadan.  You can see the picture of the students attending along with the two Muslim people directing us through the meal. 

In the Spring semester of 2008 there were two events that were very exciting.  We went as a group to Austin’s newest Hindu temple called “Austin Hindu Temple.”  Check out the picture of those attending (top). 

Another exciting event in the Spring semester of 2008:  Two groups of students argued and debated about a fundamental issue that all people have to decide on, namely, the rationality of religious belief.  In other words, when we think about what we can know by thinking about the world around us, do these thoughts bring us closer to religious belief?  One group of students supported the view that reason leads to religious belief while another group supported the opposite view that reason doesn’t lead to religious belief.  One can be religious and think that reason doesn’t support religious belief.