Final Reflection

Throughout this semester, I have gained an immense amount of knowledge on a subject that I have never really taken the opportunity to study. I come from a background that isnt highly involved in religious affairs. I dont necessarily know what my stand or position is when it comes to faith and the development of my character through religion. My mother came from a Catholic background, and my father grew up in a highly religious, Baptist home; so we never really decided which route to take when it came down to what religious practices we were going to pursue. Ive been to multiple Baptist churches, as well as several Catholic Masses, but my family hasnt found the type of church that we can settle into; therefore, we havent practiced our religious devotions very often. I was skeptical about how much I was going to learn when I signed up for this class. In a way, I figured I was just going to have to learn a few, key components of the Bible and I would be on my way; however; Ive been lucky enough to grow in my faith through the critical analysis of scripture. I appreciate that this class has given me the opportunity to study why people believe in Jesus, God, and other holy aspects in a methodical way. Prior to this semester, I assumed that most people didnt have much of an explanation for their faith, other than the fact that their parents taught it to them. With the help of our discussion board, the textbook, and my New Oxford Annotated Bible, my learning approach and appreciation for religion has grown exponentially. Even though my Scripture Analysis Journal was focused on a particular passage that I chose at the beginning of the semester, the process that I took to create my journals helped me establish a procedure for learning religion. Initially, I thought that I could simply listen to the lectures that took place in class and be able to interpret everything I needed to know from what

we were studying; however, I soon realized that reading scripture on my own would prove to be the most beneficial method for understanding and interpreting it. As the course progressed, I started to fall behind on my course load, due to the amount of time it took for me to analysis every aspect of the passages and scriptures that we were covering. I could have done more as a student to stay on top of things, which could have made things easier for me to comprehend as we moved towards different lessons. Luckily, I learned that the Bible, including the Old Testament, is an anthology of scriptures and oral lessons, and that it follows a basic chronological order. This made it easier for me to catch up with what we were covering in class, since each scripture is based on a certain time period. Additionally, I enjoyed learning what other aspects were involved in religious studies other than just faith. It came as a surprise to learn that geography, climate, government, and several other aspects were integral parts of religious studies. My textbook ended up seeming more like a history book than a religious one. My Midterm Reflection also expresses my exploits throughout the beginning of this class. It features a few concerns and methods that I had to take to stay focused on this relatively new curriculum. Overall, I am thankful for the time and effort that I have put into this class. I appreciate the way that our professor taught the course. He left it up to us to show an interest in the passages that we were studying, and it think that my portfolio certainly shows an expansion in my religious understanding from the beginning of the semester until now.