Today, in Religious Ethics, the professor said something both profound and common sensical. We were discussing how one needs to observe religions from an academic standpoint as if you were both a member and an outsider.

"I cannot place my own expectations on others because I do not understand their context. We need to look at others from their context and then decide what is moral and ethical in their context."

After he said this it honestly made me stop and think. I've never had that happen in a class before (mostly due to the fact that science classes are very black and white). The statement above is so true, how can we place our own expectations, values, and beliefs on others when we have not taken the time to "put ourselves in their shoes." Maybe the key to understanding others is to not look at their actions and judge them because we would or wouldn't do it but rather try to see from their context and understand why they are doing the certain action. I guess the gist of what we talked about today was that one can find clarity in understanding or at the very least being open to something new and gaining a new perspective from the experience.

The example used in class today is extreme but I think it illustrates the point : People in Aztec religions would fight over who would get to be sacrificed because it was the highest religious honor one could attain. If we look at this from a Christian background with Christian expectations, morals, and ethics this seems savage and it is hard to comprehend. However, if we are willing to try to put ourselves in the context of Aztec society and religion we may be able to understand with more clarity the morals and ethics of the sitation.

I think I am going to try this approach in everyday life. Just something to think about.

lovelove.

Jordan