By Bree Delio
Americans not being able to practice their faith without fear for their physical safety was among many topics a group of prestigious panelists discussed Wednesday night at Purdue University.
Six diverse panelists, which included the fifth grandson of Mohandas K. “Mahatma” Gandhi and the son of President Ronald Reagan, spoke about their experiences involving their faith in the United States.
“We were oppressed at the hands of established religion,” said Melissa Rogers, a visiting Professor at Wake Forest University School of Divinity and nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. “We have to move from the sidelines to solidarity with people who are being targeted, because an attack on anything is an attack on everything.”
The event, held by Purdue’s Division of Diversity and Inclusion, focused on addressing modern stereotypes surrounding religion. Although religious freedom is practiced in America, the panelists touched upon their experiences of being a minority and the impact it has imprinted on them.
“We cannot have discussions with one another if we are not open to change sides,” said Ron Reagan, a contributor to MSNBC, former radio host and commentator and son of late President Ronald Reagan.
The diverse group of panelists provided the audience with many unique points of view. Naomi Tutu, a reverend, activist and daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu reflected on her experiences with Christianity. While Reza Aslan, an Iranian-American scholar of religious studies, writer and television host spoke about his experiences of converting to and from the Muslim religion.
“I was also surprised that, I don’t know, I only grew up in Indiana and am surrounded by only Christians and that’s like so normal, and there was a lot of diversity here tonight which was interesting to see,” said Clara Boles, a junior in the School of Agriculture at Purdue University.
The event provided the audience with multiple view discussions about religion and polarization in the public space through the views of six diverse and distinguished speakers.
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