Describe the worship space, the people, and the sacred objects.

Religious Experience Paper, 800 word minimum
Attend a worship experience in a religion that is absolutely foreign to you. Christianity is the largest religion in the world and includes many different denominations, including Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, non-denominational churches, Mormons, Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and more. If you have ever attended Christian worship, you must choose a different religion.
Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Bahai, Paganism, Spiritualism. A google search will help you find and choose an experience. YOU MUST OBSERVE A WORSHIP EXPERIENCE. A tour of the building or a conversation with a practitioner does not count.

Include a screenshot to provide some proof of attendance, though the detailed contents of your paper should provide the main evidence. Ask permission before taking pictures inside buildings.
Do not use your cell phone during the worship experience! Do not chat or laugh inappropriately during worship. Do not leave before the experience has ended (except in special circumstances). Do engage with the other participants, ask questions, and learn from the people around you. Most of these worship centers are accustomed to student visits. They are very welcoming, happy to share information, and usually do not try to recruit or convert visitors.
Tips: Dress modestly (long pants and a modest shirt–casual attire is usually fine). Some places will ask you to remove your shoes before entering (Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Sikhism). Women and men are sometimes separated for worship, either sitting on opposite sides or in different rooms. In Judaism, men are asked to cover their heads with a kippah/yarmulke. Women are required to cover their heads with a scarf if they want to join women for prayer at the mosque (Islam); if just observing, it is usually not required.
The assignment is to observe. Please be respectful and follow along with customs, sitting and standing as required.
You may choose to give a monetary donation, but it is not required.
For your paper, you might consider the following questions:
How did you find this community of faith?
Why did you choose it?
What were your expectations?
What were your fears/questions?
What did you see, smell, hear, and feel as you entered the place of worship?
Describe the worship space, the people, and the sacred objects.
What happened in the experience?
Did you feel welcomed?
What questions did you have?
How did you go about getting your questions answered?
Would you go back? (I am NOT asking if you would convert to this religion.)
Would you recommend the experience to a friend?
This is a first-person paper. Except for the personal experience, no other research is required. If you do use information from a book or the internet, you must cite sources properly. You do not have to cite sources from the experience, such as people with whom you spoke.
Minimum criteria for the paper to be accepted for grading:
800 word minimum
experience meets the assignment criteria
MLA format
Do not capitalize a word simply because it is religious, such as “rabbi” or “temple.” Using standard capitalization rules, capitalize proper nouns such as “Rabbi Hickman” or “Temple Israel.”
Titles of books should be capitalized, such as Holy Bible, Qur’an, etc.

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