Lauren Buccambuso Intercultural Communications Project #1 4/7/2014 Overview As an Atheist, who was raise in an L!

" home, I wante to loo# at Christianit$ since it is the most %rominent reli&ion in m$ communit$ an com%letel$ i''erent than m$ current belie's( I chose to atten the worshi% ser)ice an sermon o' a church calle *2+ a non, enominational Christian church( -hen iscussin& their belie's with sta'', I 'oun that it hel Christian belie's %ointe out in .ere ith / "%run&er0s com%ilation such as1 Lo)e o' 2o an .an, hea)en an hell, an that their sal)ation comes 'rom the atonement o' /esus Christ( -hile there are similarities with this church to other Christian reli&ions, the 3alue 4rientation 5heor$ e)elo%e b$ *luc#hohn an "tro bec# hel%e me see the small i''erences between m$ current an %re)ious e6%erience with the 'aith( 5his e6%erience e'initel$ hel%e me reali7e that I shoul n0t

jum% to conclusions about someone is just because the$ tell me the$ are reli&ious(

Religious Function 5he worshi% an sermon ser)ices were hel in a barn st$le buil in& an I was shoc#e at how casual it was( I ha resse in what I ha been tau&ht was m$ 8"un a$ Best9 b$ m$ L!"

%arents an was noticeabl$ o)er resse + catchin& the attention o' their 'rien l$ 'ace sta''( 4b)iousl$, the$ coul tell this was not m$ t$%ical scene an ma e sure I le't with m$ %oc#ets line with brochures, si&nu% sheets an a co%$ o' their bible while %ushin& me towar s the com%limentar$ co''ee bar( -hen I entere the bac# s%ace, it was unli#e an$ church I ha e)er been to, it was more li#e a )enue where I woul &o to see a local %un# ban %la$: It was ob)iousl$ set u% 'or acoustics(

5here were 'lat screene %rojections han&in& e)er$where an at the 'ront o' the room was a sta&e set u% with &uitars, rums an a micro%hone( 5he li&hts turne o'', the room 'ille with 'o& an the rums starte ( 5heir worshi% ser)ice 'orce me to aban on an$ %reconce%tions o' a Christian church0s ser)ice, because this was not the stale %ra$er, h$mn, rinse an re%eat t$%e o' ser)ice that I ha e6%erience %re)iousl$( 5he$ literall$ %raise their &o to the beat o' their own rum( 5he$ %ra$e %erio icall$, but the majorit$ o' the worshi% ser)ice was one throu&h balla s communicatin& the messa&e o' 2o 0s lo)e( 4nce the worshi% ser)ice en e , their %astor ma e his wa$ u% to the sta&e li#e a contestant on 5he Price is ;i&ht( A&ain, I was sur%rise at how casual the ser)ice was an was remin e a&ain when I saw that he was in jeans an a %olo shirt( <e was )er$ %ersonable, which is somethin& I on0t thin# I ha)e e)er sai while atten in& a reli&ious sermon( <e a mitte his 'laws as he iscusse their a&en a 'or the wee# 8=ni&ma+ 5he %u77le o' /esus9 an the 'ree om he o''ers to his 'ollowers( 5he sermon was &i)en with a %assion that I coul res%ect(

Religion !escribin& themsel)es as 8 isor&ani7e reli&ion9 the *2 church is a Christian &rou% that oes not a''iliate themsel)es with an$ other major reli&ions( -hen in>uirin& with their sta'' re&ar in& their church, the$ a )ise that the$ ha 'our core belie's+ -e belie)e the bible, we belie)e there is onl$ one &o , we belie)e that all %eo%le matter, an that the church shoul be ti&ht, 'ocuse an out there( I %ulle u% their website to hel% eci%her what e6actl$ that meant, an reali7e that the summari7ation o' these belie's ali&ne with the )alues share b$ Christians liste b$ "%run&er(

We believe the Bible 5he$ onl$ belie)e that the Bible is the onl$ boo# that has 2o 0s teachin&s ?5he$ &a)e me a co%$ o' the @I3, @ew International 3ersion o' the BibleA( In com%arison to m$ %re)ious e6%erience with the L!" 'aith, who belie)e in the Bible ?4l an @ew 5estamentA, the Boo# o' .ormon, the !octrine an Co)enants an the Pearl o' 2reat Price( We believe in one God "%eci'icall$, the$ belie)e /esus Christ, 2o an the <ol$ 2host are all i''erent 'orms o' the same %erson( I alwa$s thou&ht 2o an /esus were i''erent %eo%le an I ha no i ea that other reli&ions belie)e that the$ were the same bein&, but when re)iewin& "%run&er0s com%arison, it lists belie' o' the trinit$ as a ominant )alue( We believe that all people matter 5his statement actuall$ s%ea#s to their belie's o' "al)ation, which all %eo%le are born in sin an can onl$ be sa)e throu&h the atonement o' Christ an acce%tin& his uncon itional lo)e( 5his belie' statement also touches on their )iew o' the a'terli'e that a'ter eath, ju &ment will be %asse an those who are humble an rece%ti)e o' 2o in their li)es will &ain entrance to hea)en( 5he church shoul be ti&ht, 'ocuse an out there Bein& a close #nit &rou% is a )alue hel b$ this church( 5he$ note that the acce%tance o' other cultures an bein& humble is a sta%le 'or sta$in& 'ocuse on 2o ( 5he si&nu% sheets that are now linin& the bottom o' m$ %urse comments to the im%ortance the$ %lace o' ser)ice an charitable wor#( Value Theory

.$ e6%erience while atten in& non, enominational Christian church was best relate to *luc#hohn an "tro tbec#0s 3alue 4rientations, althou&h I also utili7e the Comparison of Beliefs of Major Religions compiled by Meredith J. Sprunger to compare my experience to traditional Christianity. *luc#hohn an "tro tbec# 'elt that in i)i ual members o' all societies/cultures shoul answer the 'ollowin& s%eci'ic >uestions to hel% e'ine the ominant )alues 'or that &rou%( ?Martin, J. N., & Nakayama pg 100) B B B B B What is human nature? What is the relationship between humans and nature? What is the relationship between humans? What is the preferred personality? What is the orientation toward time?

@ow, I onl$ atten e one ser)ice so I on0t thin# I woul 'ull$ be able to answer e)er$ >uestion on behal' o' a mo ern Christian1 howe)er, there is one )alue that stuc# out to me( 8-hat is the orientation towar timeC9 -hich is essentiall$ what the culture wants to 'ocus on+ the %ast, the %resent or the 'utureC

Analysis

=)er$ other Christian &atherin& I ha)e e6%erience ha)e seeme to em%hasi7e the %ast more than the %resent or the 'uture( 5he$ 'ocus on tra itions/rituals an ensurin& the$ are %er'orme %ro%erl$( 5he$ are )er$ strict with %racticin& their reli&ions as Christ tau&ht it thousan s o' $ears

a&o( I remember atten in& a .ormon meetin& an the $oun& bo$ blessin& the sacrament o)er an o)er because the %ra$er was not %er'orme %ro%erl$(

@ow, this %articular church is much more %resent,oriente than their tra itional Christian counter%arts an I coul see that in their sermon( 5his "un a$ the$ were tal#in& about the "abbath an what it meant to #ee% it hol$( -hen he brou&ht u% this to%ic, I remember bein& $oun& an m$ mom e6%lainin& that $ou can0t watch 53 on "un a$, $ou can0t %la$ with $our 'rien s, coul n0t &o out 'or ice,cream an as a #i : I hate "un a$s( *ee%in& the "abbath a$ hol$ is one o' the 5en Comman ments an is a ominant )alue in Christianit$( ?"%run&er, %&D0A

5he %astor base his sermon on the 'act that the strictness in which this comman ment was 'ollowe b$ other 'aiths remo)e the 'ree om o' Christ0s teachin&s( <e then went to state that human nee trum%s the "abbath( <e &a)e an e6am%le o' Christ healin& a man0s han on the "abbath an the %riests %lottin& his emise 'or brea#in& the laws &o)ernin& that teachin&( <e then &oes to note that as lon& as $ou ha)e Christ in $our heart, $ou are oin& what is &oo 'or man then $ou are not brea#in& the "abbath an are in 'act #ee%in& it hol$( I thin# the 'act that the %astor %ulle in'ormation 'rom the bible an 'ocuse on ma#in& it rele)ant 'or %eo%le who li)e in the %resent, brea#in& the stress'ul tra itions or %racticin& the 'aith, was the most interestin& thin& throu&hout the e6%erience(

Reflection:

I on0t belie)e in a &o or an a'terli'e an I ha)e alwa$s been stum%e that %eo%le o ?I ho%e that oesn0t soun i&norantA( .$ &ran mother summe it u% in a wa$ that has alwa$s stuc# with me, 8-ho woul ta#e the ama7in& &i't that is this li'e, an then ha)e the au acit$ to as#

Ewell, what0s ne6tC09 5his li'e is so beauti'ul, wh$ is it so ba that I thin# it0s the onl$ one we will ha)eC

Prior to this atten in& the e)ent, I was absolutel$ rea in& this %roject( I ten to stic# aroun li#e min e %eo%le an onl$ en&a&e in small tal# with %eo%le who I #now are reli&ious( It can be reall$ uncom'ortable when someone 'in s out that I on0t belie)e in what the$ o( I reall$ stru&&le to enter into this e6%erience with an o%en min (

!urin& this assi&nment, I learne that there are man$ i''erent wa$s to )iew the same thin&( 5he$ ma$ ha)e similar )alues, but i''erent branches o' the same reli&ion can still see thin&s so i''erentl$( .$ %arents con)erte to the L!" 'aith when I was $oun& an so loo#in& at how the )alues o' Christianit$ i''ere between .ormons an the non, enominational Christians was intri&uin&(

.$ attitu e i chan&e a little urin& the assi&nment( It hel%e brea# the stereot$%e I ha that all reli&ious %eo%le are just li)in& this li'e to &et to the ne6t one( I ha the chance to tal# to a man who loo#e about m$ a&e, I shoul ha)e written own his name, but I tal#e to him about wh$ he was there( <e e6%laine that he ha a substance abuse %roblem with %ain#illers( <e ha been sober 'or a little less than a $ear an e6%resse that ha)in& 'aith hel%e him acce%t that he wasn0t the 'irst %erson to ha)e issues, but it hel%e him #nowin& that his &o lo)e him an$wa$( "o, it hel%e me see that belie)ers aren0t just ti% toein& throu&h li'e so the$ can reall$ li)e in hea)en1 some belie)e in hea)en to &et throu&h the hell li'e can %ut us throu&h(

5he a%%lication o' theor$ i hel% me un erstan the e6%erience( It hel%e me un erstan the 'our core belie's a little better( It hel%e me notice the #e$ i''erence on how branches o' the same base reli&ion )iew time(

Works Cited

Martin, J. N., & Nakayama, T. K. (2013). Intercultural Communication in Contexts, Sixth Edition, New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Sprunger, M. J. (2013). #25 Belief Comparision of the World's Major Religions. Utah: Salt Lake Commuity College.

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