7 CAMPUS PERSPECTIVE
New religiously diverse organization at
Mereditli
The Herald’s biweekly diversity column
KEANICIA LUCAS
Staff Columnist
We all have our own
ideas about religion and
who or what our God is.
For some of us, it is diffi
cult to express those reli
gious views or to fmd otii-
ers who will accept those
beliefs and not judge us for
them. A new organization
on campus might be the
place for those who have
different views than the
more traditional Christian
beliefs found here on cam
pus. The name of the new
organization is AURA, the
Association fen:
Understanding and
Religious Awareness.
AURA was ^proved in
the spring of 2003 as an
oi^anization to be added to
the roster here at Meredith.
I recently met with the
president of this new
organization, junior Cheryl
Stanley, and she explained
to me the puq)ose and
goals of AURA.
"AURA is designed to
create a place for non-tradi-
tional based Christian
members of the Meredith
community. A place where
they can go to find toler
ance, acceptance, encour
agement, and place where
they can have their reli
gious needs addressed,"
explained Stanley.
Before AURA, there
was not an organization
that acknowledged that all
members of the Meredith
College community are not
part of the traditionally
Christian community usual
ly found here on campus.
"The goal of AURA is
to increase tolerance and
acknowledge religious
diversity on campus, and
have a place of connection
for the non- traditional
Christian believers on cam
pus," stated Stanley.
The members of AURA
don't all have the same
faith. On the contraiy, there
are members of the organi
zation that are Christian,
but have a variety of views;
Muslim, Pagan, Atheist,
and Wiccan. Most of the
members at this time are of
a Christian based faith.
This organization was cre
ated for those who do not
fit into the Christian major-
iQ^ to feel like they belong.
To get a better under
standing of the idea of the
oi^anization you need to
know about different reli
gions.
As most of you know,
Muslim is an Islamic faith.
In the IslMnic faith, believ
ers worship the God called
Allah. Each person of the
Islamic faith worships in
his or her own personal
way. However, typical
practices for someone of
Islamic faith are the five
prayers a day. A problem
that AURA would like to
address is that there is the
lack of space on campus
where the Islamic faith can
be practiced.
Wicca is a polytheistic,
nature-based religion that
focuses on the connection
between nature and deity
and the belief that deity is
present in all things includ
ing people. There is nor
mally no concept of heaven
or hell, unlike in the
Christian faith. A problem
AURA would like to
address for the Wiccans on
campus is for the Meredith
community to gain the
understanding that being
Wiccan does not me^
being evil or demonic.
Wiccans pray, like
Christians, though their
prayers are sometimes
called spells. In the past,
many have thought of
spells as curses, but they
are generally just prayers
being said to d\e God or
Goddess they worship.
However, it should be
noted that many Wiccans
choose not to perform
spells at all and choose to
pray in their own way with
prayers much like Christian
prayers or by song.
There are atheistic
views, which believe that
there is no god at all.
I have only given a few
descriptions, but there are
more different religious
preferences in the Meredith
community- For many,
going against the norm of
the Meredith College com
munity is hard when there
are so many students on
campus who are Christian
and very vocal about their
beliefs.
AURA is giving all
types of students a chance
to express themselves in a
non-judgmental environ
ment. Although for writing
purposes I used the term
traditional and non-tradi-
tional, it should be noted
that traditional for one per
son may be non-traditional
to another. These terms are
not derogatoiy; they are
just being used so that there
is a clear understanding.
The next meeting for
AURA is Thursday,
November 13 at 3:30 p.m.
in 128 Joyner. If you are
interested in becoming a
member or supporting the
oi^anization. President
Cheryl Stanley, welcomes
you. Anyone is invited no
matter their religious back
ground as long as they are
curious and supportive.
"(MyJ leadershape
vision is for acceptance of
diversity and equal treat
ment of all people not mat
ter the race, gender, sexual
orientation, or religion,"
stated Stanley.
Once again I urge the
entire Meredith College
community do not let
diversity mean divided.
' t
j
International Education Week
November 17-21
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