Ateneo de Davao University

Purposive Communication

NAME: John Rya G. Seranas

DATE: July 12, 2020

Different Beliefs and Practices are Confusing

My best friend and I have different religion, he is a Muslim. We just came from the movie
house, and the show we watched had a lot of death scenes. We were casually talking about the
movie, and I randomly asked him, “what if I die?”. I told him I wanted him to visit my wake and
that he should help in arranging for my funeral like how I would want to have a gold coffin,and
that my guests should wear white instead of black, etc. I noticed that his face looked confused,
like he knows nothing about funerals. He told me that in their religion, they do not do funerals
like how we Christians usually do. He said that when a Muslim die, that person should be buried
as soon as possible. He also said that they don’t put them in a coffin, they just wrap them in a
cloth and put it in a grave directly. I was shocked at what he just said. In my opinion, it was a
cruel way to do to a person that just died. I did not agree with him because I believe that the
right way is to have a proper funeral like how Christians usually do it. We had a short
misunderstanding until he told me about their culture. He explained that they do not practice
wakes like Christians do. He said that Muslims bury the body within 24 hours to prevent any
sanitary issues from the dead and avoid diseases that could come from the body. They wash
the body before wrapping it in a clean cloth and say a funeral prayer before they bury the dead
in a grave. As he was explaining, I realized that we have our own differences and beliefs. I felt
bad for reacting right away without really knowing his side. I was thankful that he explained it to
me clearly so that I could understand and be informed about their culture and practices.

I feel glad that we had an open conversation about his religion and their beliefs. It is a
matter of acceptance and respect to different religions and their own beliefs. I realized that even
if I don’t agree with someone’s beliefs or their practices, I should be informed and learn about
what they believe, so that it could help me respect their decision to make these beliefs an
important part in their life.