Faith Awareness Badge

A couple of weeks ago I had a meeting with my mentor for this badge, my old Guide leader Gaye Wilson who I respect for her love of learning and analytical mind. We had met regarding the selection of my challenges last year, but had not come to a conclusion as she insisted that I needed to select more challenges from the "Your Religion" side of the column, since the wording of the badge is that I must complete "some" from each (as in, I can't get away with just doing one).

This time when we met I articulated why I had found that so difficult to work with: I didn't want to have a "Your Religion" when I didn't feel like I resonated or identified completely with one. However, I acknowledged that being brought up from childhood with a particular religion does leave some marks on you, even when you don't know and you don't realise (but maybe those of other or no religion see!) so we worked through the columns to find two challenges that I would be eye-opening and genuinely interesting (like speaking to someone about their experience with Catholicism), instead of alienating (attending a big youth camp where everyone is super duper Catholic).

Here are the challenges I have selected:

- Illustrate and tell in your own words a story from the sacred book of your own religion (I'd like to meld the salient points of whatever story I choose with the matching ideas of at least one other religion)

- Identify, describe and visit a religious festival celebrated in a religious tradition other than your own. Make a visual record of aspects of the festival that appeared significant to you

- Compare three different Promises, one each from a different WAGGGS region. Explain how religious tradition may have helped shape the wording

- Explore the role of religious leaders in two different religious traditions

- Explore a true story about a person whose faith experience has led him or her to help others. Record the significance of this story to your personal faith journey

- Identify two types of meditative practices from world religious traditions, participate in one and reflect on its value in contributing to your own faith journey

- Identify and explain the significance of religious artwork, dress, symbolism or music within a world religion other than your own (I plan to use music).

I would like to look at several Other Faiths, but I have some friends who go to the Baha'i temple and I would be very eager to attend their festivals and find out more about their musical practices!