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Cole Ruid

AP Language and Comprehension A

Ms. Schaner

6 November 2019

Higher Power

Going into the idea of a cultural experience was, if anything, a trivial concept for me to

grasp. I have always been open-minded, open to new experiences, and (in recent years

especially) seeking means by which to grow my cultural palette. Until seeking another

experience for this very project, I thought that I had seen it all. I thought that I would have a hard

time taking anything new away from any experience I would attend. This notion of mine was

proven wrong in one short weekend. Growing up, I was never truly exposed to religion and what

it means to people. I had not pondered in depth about why Christians felt so compelled to follow

something they had no solid evidence for. However, I had been raised on respect for religion in

general, even if I was not religious myself. In fact, I have taken part in some religious activities

in the past. Being a counselor at Camp Sunshine (a summer camp for those with developmental

disabilities) required me to participate in prayer and certain worship songs. I spoke of God with

my campers for their sake, even if I did not believe. But even through this respect of religion I

found myself reluctant to agree to a weekend at a church retreat, something I had been invited to

by a close friend. The retreat took place on October 25-27, 2019. It would include no phones, no

familiar faces, no notion of the time of day, and me being an odd man out. My reluctance proved

to be irrelevant at the end of the weekend as I walked away with an answer to a question I had

not even known that I had: why is it that so many people follow Christianity?
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Looking back on my thoughts before attending this retreat- effectively named “Teens

Encountering Christ” (TEC)- I was honestly nervous. My friend who had invited me to sign up

for TEC, like everyone else who attends, was a regular churchgoer; but she knew that I was not.

She assured me that my agnosticism would not be germane to how the rest of the attendees (or as

we were called, candidates) viewed me. Even with that in mind, I still fretted about everything

from “What if I accidentally let ‘Oh my God’ slip?” to “Would it be disrespectful if I wore a

shirt that said ‘Science’ on it?” All of these sophistries, of course, were based on stereotypes and

radicalist images of Christians in my mind. Why I had these preconceived images is a question

that even I cannot fully answer. Perhaps I was not as open-minded as I thought I was. Was it the

media that gave me such a perception? Social media outlets are known for radicalism, and this

may be the culprit of many misunderstandings about religion. Having never learned in depth

about modern Chritianity and what most Christians believe, the media was my only tool to build

what turned out to be a severely distorted picture of these individuals. Nevertheless, I told myself

that if it came up in conversation, I would be completely honest and say that I did not identify

myself as religious or even go to church. Whether this would make my fellow candidates taciturn

or not, I did not want to lie and inevitably be caught in the lie. To my surprise, this had almost no

effect on people’s view of me when I inevitably told a few of my new friends. I was also worried

about what activities would take place over the weekend as we were not allowed to know about

the schedule for the weekend whatsoever. However, this was part of the excitement, and I will

admit I did enjoy the aspect of the unknown. A downside for me, though, was that I did not know

if I needed to mentally prepare myself for any religious activities that I was not used to taking

part in. Certain activities, like saying grace at meals or attending a church service, were things I
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was used to taking part in occasionally. My fear was that I would be placed in a new situation

and not know how to respond or act. An example of this was the very first night, just before bed.

All of the candidates were given an opportunity to participate in an Ash Wednesday type

ceremony, in which we each received an ash cross on our foreheads to represent our sin. This

was an incredibly new experience for me and some of my fellow candidates. Even those who

regularly attended church seemed to be a bit uncomfortable. At first I felt quite a bit awkward

and out of place, but after talking to others who also did not know about the ceremony, I felt

better about it. Though it did make me question overall devotion across the religion. To call

oneself a Christian, how devoted must one be? Does it simply take identifying as a Christian? Or

does it take more, must one be an avid follower who knows The Bible cover to cover, and goes

to church three times a week? During the ceremony, I told myself that this is a normal instance

for most Christians. Me not being a Christian and not knowing the reasons behind most of the

events that took place, though, is exactly what made this a cultural experience in my eyes. I am

not normally a part of the Christian culture, the culture including everyone who shares the belief

system of Christianity. My belief system is quite different than that of a Christian, so I sought to

understand that very belief system during this weekend.

The weekend at TEC taught me a great amount about how and why people follow

Christianity. Over the course of the retreat, there were a number of “talks” given by different

members of the volunteer crew. These were extremely open speeches during which the speakers

would go into detail about different hardships and struggles that they have faced in their lives.

Then they would wrap up their talks by telling about their first experience at TEC and how much

of an impact it had on their well being. Many of those who spoke were non-religious before
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attending, and quite a few were struggling with depression. But, after attending TEC,

experiencing the welcoming community, the closeness with Christianity, and the amazing bonds

they could make in just a short weekend; it was enough to ease them out of their rut and

introduce them to faith. Hearing these testimonies was an incredible eye-opener for me as they

showed me just how much of an impact Christianity has on its followers. As I looked around

during and after these talks, I saw how much empathy the community had for the speakers.

People who were complete strangers cried for each other and consoled one another. To see how

open, honest, and vulnerable each of the speakers were, even in front of an audience full of

unfamiliar faces, was tear-jerking to say the least. I found myself asking questions to myself

about, well, myself. I found that I was able to relate with some of the struggles that were spoken

of, whether I had previously acknowledged them or not. Hearing how the speakers dealt with

such struggles was refreshing for me to hear and helped me grow a bond with these people I had

never met before. The talks also showed me just how much of an impact Christianity can have on

individuals. Hearing about how much of a positive outlook the speakers had after finding

Christianity showed me why people follow the religion at all. Christianity can give hope to those

who have no hope left and, as I saw from the talks and the community, bring happiness when

people feel none.

“It’s really nice having a big group of people that have gone through the same stuff I

have,” says a former candidate, “and the community is super welcoming, and very judge-free.”

(Goodemoot). This former candidate had her first TEC quite some time ago, but she has kept

returning for the community. So many attendees have great things to say about the welcoming

community because the outside world is not nearly as accepting. This brings me to my next
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question: what is it that makes the community inside TEC different than outside? Is it because

everyone who attends TEC has at least one thing in common, the commonality being

Christianity? Is it because we are forbidden from bringing our phones, causing us to make

friends and physically interact with each other? One of the main things we were told as

candidates was to “bring the energy of TEC to the outside world”, but the difference in

communities is so distinct that I feel as though it would seem out of place to be as happy as we

are inside TEC. Have we, as a society, almost normalized being sad and antisocial? Should this

optimistic attitude be reserved for Christian organizations, or is it possible to be social in the

normal world? A common religion may be part of it, as found in this study on antisocial

lifestyles: “​Weak bonds to society and individuals, self centredness, low empathy, and lack of

religious belief are all associated with substance misuse and an antisocial lifestyle.” (Shepherd).

A similar article provides statistics: “Of the 178 most methodologically rigorous studies, 119

(67%) find inverse relationships between R/S and depression. Religious beliefs and practices

may help people to cope better with stressful life circumstances, give meaning and hope, and

surround depressed persons with a supportive community.” (​Bonelli) The situation described in

the article is almost parallel to the events that take place at TEC, a supportive community to help

its members cope with their own life struggles. Outside of these communities, we are back

forced into antisocial tendencies. These tendencies can be difficult to break, but breaking them

can bring groups of people out of a dark mental state. Religious organizations do not have to be

the only reason for these tendencies to be broken, all one would need is willpower.

While I still do not plan to attend church anytime soon, it would be a lie if I said I have

not been impacted spiritually and emotionally. Knowing more about faith has opened my eyes in
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multiple ways. In the future, I plan to continue attending TEC as a volunteer worker, perhaps

continuing to grow spiritually. If I continue to attend and invite others along with me,

Christianity may become a bigger part of my life. In any case, the ideas will forever stay with

me. Human interaction without the help of a device is one of the deepest connections one can

make, and I challenge myself, along with the reader, to make more of these connections. I also

challenge myself to be more accepting of others, and to be less antisocial when it comes to

making these new connections. Religion, regardless of one’s beliefs, is an amazing thing that

brings people together. Christianity is just one part of the spectrum, but anything that can bring

individuals together and bring happiness in that capacity is doing good in the community.

Optimism, sociability, and overall kindness should be a part of everybody’s lives. Faith is truly

an amazing thing, and if faith gets you all three, then Halleluia.

Works Cited

Bonelli, Raphael, et al. “Religious and Spiritual Factors in Depression: Review and Integration

of

the Research.” ​Depression Research and Treatment,​ Hindawi Publishing Corporation, 12

Apr. 2012, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3426191/.

Goodemoot, Abigail. Personal Interview. Norton Shores. 10 Nov. 2019

Shepherd, Jonathan, and David Farrington. “The Impact of Antisocial Lifestyle on Health.” ​BMJ

(Clinical Research Ed.)​, BMJ Publishing Group Ltd, 19 Apr. 2003,

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1125758/​. 10 Nov. 2019.