My name is Ashley Jordan Rich. I do not practice religion; however, my mom is Catholic and my dad is Buddhist. I believe in parts of both religions, but overall I do not fully believe. My take on religion is that it is just a reflection of how you are in life; for example, when Buddhists chant, what they expect to get out of it they have to put that much effort and time into their life. I believe that if you are serious about your religion and practice it consistently then that person will earn what they deserve because they are more likely to act that way in life, but if someone is lazy in their religion that reflects how they are in life so they might not get the same outcomes. To me religion is just a mirror image of yourself and your attitude and outlook on life. I do not believe just praying to God will get what you want, but if you work hard it will get you what you want. I also believe that for some people, religion is just a scapegoat or crutch for them not to do as well as they want, or the reason why they did not get the job or grade they thought they were going to get. Some people say, "I didn't get the job because it was not in God's plan for me," those type of people have caused me to not believe in religion because they are not taking responsibility for their actions, and it caused me to see religion differently.
I am a 18 year old female aspiring to be a nurse and follow in my mother's footsteps. I have many goals set for my life and would like to accomplish most of them if not all of them. I am attending Holy Names University because I like that the school is small and that the students are able to have closer relationships with their professors than at a UC or CSU. I also am at Holy Names University for their 2+2 Nursing program. I would also like to graduate with honors. One topic that most interests me is Women in Religions; I am really interested in that topic because at times women were not allowed to be involved in anything but cleaning around the house, doing house work and taking care of children and it will be interesting to see how women influenced religion. Also to be able to see how women were looked at in different religions. What I am hoping to get out of this class is to be able to look at religions and/ or traditions and be able to apply it to the modern day and see what has become extinct and what has changed but still lives today. Also to be able to see how religion and tradition affects or influences the population.
