While religion classes can help develop a student’s Catholic faith, they can also help develop a student’s worldview. Instead of choosing between “Christian Life Choices” and “Honors Philosophy” senior year, students should be given the opportunity to take a world religions class.

Obviously students’ spiritual development was taken into close consideration while creating a religion curriculum, but they should offer a class with a view on religion beyond the Catholic faith. In the past, JC has offered a World Religions class, and they should offer this class again.

The administration has put a lot of effort into trying to diversify our school, and this is another way we can accomplish this goal. JC is a very diverse school with students of different political affiliations, races, nationalities, and religions. In order to create an environment where a diverse group of students come together as one student body, it is pertinent that we understand the different cultures and religions of our fellow students.

Examining the beliefs of other major world religions shows that many of the most popular world religions share basic ideas and encourage their followers to adopt similar practices. A world religions class will help students understand that just because two people may have two different faiths, they are not automatically enemies, and will help teach students about the similarities of religion that tie different cultures and faiths together.

A world religions class would give students a chance to expand their worldview and develop tolerance towards other religions. A world religion class can also help students continue to develop their religious beliefs.

In recent years, religion has begun to fall by the wayside. More and more young people are beginning to claim that they are atheist, agnostic, or have no belief system at all.

From what I’ve seen in my personal experiences, if kids don’t agree or don’t like the religion that their parents are, they pretty much give up on religion all together. If we offer a world religions class, we can show students that there are more religions and belief systems out there. A world religions class would teach students that just because you don’t believe in one particular religion, doesn’t mean you can’t find another religion to believe.

Exploring other religions can also help strengthen a student’s conviction in his or her own faith. By exploring the different practices that other religions observe and understanding the different beliefs each religion holds, a student can make an informed decision on whether or not they truly believe in their faith.

By changing the seniors’ Honors religion class from Philosophy to World Religions, students won’t miss any of the religion classes they are required to take. They can also gain knowledge that can help them succeed in interactions with others and can help them better understand their own faith.

Grace Mottley is a News Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.