It is an unfortunate fact that many people, especially at Bowdoin, do not realize the importance of current events in the grand scheme of history. Alexander’s experiences abroad have come to highlight this. Although the coziness of the Bowdoin Bubble is comforting, we must realize how detrimental it is to our development as citizens of the world.
Sometimes, we encounter a person or event that jolts us out of the complacency and asks us to engage with challenging—and sometimes personal—questions about our world around us. That was the case just recently for Danny, when Burnett House hosted a gathering that addressed the challenges of navigating spiritual and religious experience on our secular campus.
The posters for the event, which was led by Director of Religious and Spiritual Life Bob Ives, made me reflect on my own religion, its standing in a rapidly changing world and how it adapts to shifting norms.
Both columnists are Catholic, and we both had to deal with many issues regarding our faith in recent years. Most of Danny’s spiritual questioning revolves around the incompatibility of church dogma with his identity and its inability to adapt to new social norms across the world. However, Danny knows that he is certainly not the only individual that has grappled with these questions.
This is why we both were excited by Pope Francis’ announcement of a synod—a meeting of cardinals and bishops—that would reevaluate the Church’s stance on issues of homosexuality and unconventional (unmarried or divorced) families. With the calling of the synod, which ended just last week, the current Pope has guaranteed his legacy as an empathetic and lenient, if not socially progressive, pontiff.
The Pope’s statement that “Homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer to the Christian community” and his assertion on Tuesday that the Big Bang and evolution are compatible with church doctrine have far-reaching implications. They will make the Catholic Church a more welcoming institution and will play a transformative role in Catholicism for decades to come. There is acknowledgement of this fact both in the U.S. and abroad.
And yet at Bowdoin there was very little discussion about these landmark developments, despite the rampant championing of liberal ideals on our campus. I encountered a few nods of agreement or the occasional, “This Pope is awesome!” from friends. In general, however, much of our community did not engage in substantive conversations on the progress that is changing one of our world’s oldest and most influential institutions.
Here on campus, as in the U.S. at large, thoughts on the development and remodeling of religion usually focus on the danger of radical Islam and its ties to political and security issues. While abroad in Qatar, many of Alexander’s academic discussions have necessitated the factoring in of religious fundamentalism. All the while however, less fundamentalist interpretations of religion permeate everyday life in Qatar and people are well-versed in current events.
When speaking of the Catholic reforms, students in Qatar have expressed interest in the fluidity of Church doctrine, as well as a fascination with how the church is addressing the challenges posed by modernity.
Additionally, many of Alexander’s conversations have focused on the similar challenges that Catholicism and Islam face today. His peers have articulated the hope that our generation of religious youth can learn something from one another as we both grapple with our faith. Yet even as the Pope in Rome declared the validity of the Big Bang and evolution, Alexander notes that aspects of religious culture in Quatar contradict recent Catholic progress. For example, no one in his host country believes in evolution.
Realizing and engaging with these important differences between religions and cultures, and understanding how they affect perspectives on global events is absolutely essential in our globalized world.
Every day, Bowdoin students are exposed to news of what’s happening in the world. Sometimes, as is the case now, we are given opportunities to discuss subjects such as religion and what it means in our secular society.
Taking part in conversations about these issues does more than keep us well informed. Whether you are reading of happenings far away or immersing yourself in a different culture for a semester, engaging with international discourse offers us the ability to appreciate the historical scope of significant current events.
Just as in our last column, which examined the complex nature and oftentimes confused perspectives on ISIS, we encourage our peers to unabashedly engage in these sometimes uncomfortable conversations.
Realizing and acknowledging the importance of significant events and developments, like the future of the religion of 1.2 billion people around the globe, is not academic. It is the first step in becoming an engaged world citizen.