Taylor Ferguson Professor Germain English 1101 September 23, 2013 Literacy of Religion The art of being able

to read and write in any specific subject or area of life is the most basic definition of literacy. Another way to think of literacy would be an individuals ability to put the reading and writing skills he/she has developed over time, to work. Throughout my life, I have had the chance to develop a skill and a faith towards a specific type of reading. I have become literate in religion and have obtained the ability to understand what I am reading, as well as teach and spread the message I obtained. With this literacy comes three main points: grace, adaptation, and power which whom I learned from my mentor in high school. These three key points are shown in my development of the literacy of religion all the time. Throughout my freshman year of high school, I received the opportunity to meet many people; however, one specific person stood out the most. The main literacy sponsor that I have in my life would be my Young Life leader, James, who has now become one of my best friends. It began with an awkward introduction and then reached a point of accountability and helpfulness as time passed. The language of religion was a blur to me as I began my teenage years until James pushed me to pursue reading the Bible. When I attempted to read by myself, nothing seemed to make sense, nothing was falling into place. What most frustrated me was that biblical language can be perceived in various ways and is often difficult to

understand. The theme and message are often underlying and it can cause a person to miss what the scripture is truly saying. Reading scripture takes a lot of thought, attention, and knowledge to get a good understanding of how God is trying to speak to you through the word. With James introduction to me of O.I.A. (Observation, Interpretation, Application), I felt a sense of grace in my skills. I had a better understanding of what I needed to know. I could observe the readings, interpret what they were saying by asking James questions or referencing to other sections, and finally, I could apply the understanding of all of it to be able to preach the word of God to others. As my year went on, I had to learn how to express my skills that were just being developed on scriptural literacy. I began adapting to the biblical reading and understood that a person couldnt look at only one verse and think solely on just that verse, instead, one needs to cross reference other readings in the book and compare and contrast those as well. I remember the first time I was in a bible study with James as well as with a few other individuals. I was sitting in the room, silent, constantly listening to my peers chatter, not knowing what was being spoken of; however, with weeks of continuous practice of reviewing context throughout the entire Bible, instead of reading straight from one section, I was able to better understand what was going on in those classes. It wasnt until much later that I received the knowledge and ability to speak up in them, but I at least knew what was going on. Adaptation had occurred during my freshman and sophomore year and there was an obvious sign that I was obtaining the information that I needed to be. Having James to help guide me through literacy was something special. I had a

mentor who would be my accountability partner in making sure I was doing what needed to be done in order to succeed. Practicing with him and then later turning around and being able to understand concepts of reading on my own had happened throughout those few years. The time between those first two years of high school, I was learning the concepts needed to become literate in scripture. It wasnt until my junior year that I truly became aware of my surroundings and came to the realization of what the purpose was for me to obtain the literacy of religion. I attended a camp with the Young Life program from my school and was given the opportunity to soak in a vast amount of information on scriptures and readings. During one of our late night talks in the cabin, I felt something powerful; a sense of superiority over the rest of the teenagers in the room and it was the first time I had felt that way. That night, I finally understood what being literate was. As I sat and listened to the other campers, I was able to contribute by sharing what I had learned from my continuous study of the Bible. I felt I had become a literary sponsor to the other campers as we continued our discussions and talks at the Young Life camp my junior year. Becoming literate in any type of language isnt a skill people are born with; its something that takes time and effort to develop. Whether I felt a sense of grace by trying to understand the maze that takes place in the Bible, if I was trying to adapt to new information that was previously a fog, or being powerful and influential towards others by showing them light as well as giving them the capability of becoming literate, too, I knew that I was beginning to understand the full meaning of religious literacy. Without James guidance throughout my high

school years and the key points he taught me, I would not be where I am today as an individual and wouldnt be even close to understanding biblical literacy. With the knowledge I have gained, I can now pass it along to others with confidence. When a person gets to a point of knowledge that they can spread the message to others, they have become literate. As I have received literacy in religion, there are still majorities of people who are not aware of this specific literacy. Understanding a type of literacy allows you to have a special dialect and communication that outsiders to your community, in this case religious, may not understand. Everyone doesnt understand religion; only those who are open minded and willing to take a risk in his or her faiths truly grasp the concept. I have gained the knowledge needed and now make it my goal to inform the people who arent aware about the literacy of religion because I have found life in it and believe others can, as well. As I have moved through my childhood and have seen miracles happen while developing religiously, I had the urge to tell someone about how great it was. So, I went around preaching about religion, but in that time there were some bumps that I hit on the way. Not everyone sees things as I do and not everyone is open to listening, either. In an attempt to help others become literate in the same language as I am, I have learned it is very important not to just push everything on them at once. Patience is key in educating others on any topic. There are those whom I tried to push religious literacy on and I got nowhere; I was back at the start. Giving up was not an option; I just had to move slower through the process with them. On the other hand, if you listen to what others have to say and then give input every so

often, I have learned that it works a lot more efficiently. People will come back to you wanting to know more and more since the information wasnt all thrown out to them at one moment. There is a constant conflict that occurs while trying to become more literate and in attempt to educate others. There are so many things today that distract us from continuing our education of literacy. Individuals are capable of becoming literate, but over time he or she may go out doing things that they regret. Becoming literate is at the back of their minds. I would spend my time listening to what people would be talking about and somehow insert Gods word into their conversation. Not everyone wanted to listen to what I had to say, and not everyone will; however, many were intrigued with what I did say. While people had the literacy of religion in the back of their heads, I was allowing them to carry it with them wherever they went. This eagerness I had to teach others made me strong and gave me the capability of getting my point across without being to direct. This is where I have felt that I had become a literary sponsor on others lives. Becoming literate in an unconventional form of language was a rigged and complicated excursion, yet being able to put the reading, writing, and teaching skills I had developed over the years to use, was well worth it. I learned many things along the way including new forms of study habits as well as the understanding that while teaching others about any subject, one must have patience.