When I first came to Ottawa University, knowing of its religious affiliation and finding out about the required religion courses, I was skeptical.
Especially because I just transferred from the University of Kansas, which is know for being very liberal and not religious.
I was expecting to be forced to believe something I didn’t or to be standing alone in a crowd of people who had strong beliefs that I didn’t share.
Being someone who has changed my religious views in the past few years and now considering myself to be a non-religious person, I thought I was going to be an outcast.
However, that thought quickly changed when I started classes.
I realized there were other students with my same outlook on religion and other students with different religious perspectives that I hadn’t heard before.
This made me realize that OU is more religiously diverse than I originally thought.
I wasn’t excited to take The Gospels or Biblical Book, however, I seemed to enjoy both more than I expected and I learned about things I wouldn’t have if I didn’t take the classes.
Taking those classes with Professor Erika Marksbury was a good experience because of her open mind and the willingness to consider all views and interpretations.
When we were given the assignment in Biblical Book to interpret verses from the Psalms, I was nervous that I would say the wrong thing in my interpretation.
However, I quickly realized that I may not be the only one who would interpret them a certain way.
The students in the class presented their interpretations of their Psalms and we had class discussions about them.
Everyone was open to new ideas about the verses and how people saw their meanings.
In class, being able to interpret parts of the Bible the way I thought it should made me feel more confident in my own beliefs.
Many students come to OU for scholarship opportunities, proximity to home, academics and athletics.
Not everyone shares the same religious views and I am glad that most of the OU community is open to other religious beliefs besides the American Baptist affiliation that OU takes on.
Even though OU has a religious connection, not all students do.
It is important to keep an open mind to other people and realize that, just because we all attend an American Baptist school, doesn’t mean everyone who attends OU shares those beliefs.
That’s my interpretation, anyway.