Shereen Richard

RELS_1310_Sec 2
Final Theology Portfolio
5/8/14
My name is Shereen Richard, and I am in my second semester in the Biology: Human
Medicine 3+2 PA Program at Our Lady of the Lake College. This semester, I was required to
take the course Religion 1310 Section 2. For this course, we were required 10 hours of service
learning from the organization of our choosing from the organizations provided. Out of the
choices provided, I chose to volunteer at the YWCA Early Head Start Program. This
organizations mission and purpose is to nurture and support the development of children,
family, and staff, and to enhance the educational status and economical outcomes of teen
parents and their children so they will be self-sufficient members of the community. Going into
the service-learning portion of the class, I knew I would want to work with children. I find
children make the world a brighter place. Although many children can be rotten, I find the
innocence of children a beautiful thing. I thoroughly enjoy spending my time with children
because when I am with them, I dont stop to think about all of the negativity in the world. I
think about how amazing and huge the world is to them, how bright their futures are, and how
they have the potential to change the world one day. I chose the YWCA Early Head Start
Program because I wanted to spend time with children who are still happy even though they are
not in the best situations. I wanted to help the children see how special and loved they were, even
if at times, their relatives or peers do not show them affection. I knew that this experience would
help me to appreciate the life I have had and would encourage me to reach out to my community
even more.
The aspect of the service learning experience that challenged me the most was leaving

when I had finished my 10 hours. Throughout my experience, I became extremely attached to the
children. They probably did not remember me because my visits were spaced a part by weeks,
but I surely remembered them. I grew extremely close to a child named Kayla who was one year
old. She had just started walking and followed me everywhere I went. I fed her and played with
her along with the other children the entire time I was there. In the beginning, I thought that I
would just get my 10 hours of service and be done without a second thought. To my surprise, on
the last day when I was feeding the children, I began crying realizing that my time was up. If it
were up to me, I would make sure each and every one of them had an amazing childhood. Not
knowing how their lives were at home or what kind of person they would become as they grew
up was really hard to accept as I was leaving. This was the most difficult part of my experience
with the children.
There were two moments throughout my entire experience that touched my heart and
made me extremely happy to be there. Every day after breakfast, all of the children were told to
go and sit in the reading area where we would sing songs, dance, and read books. My second
visit to the center, I was asked to read some books to the children while the instructors cleaned
up. When I got to the reading area, the children were so excited to read books that they could not
even contain their excitement. They picked out all of their favorite books and sat down patiently
until I was ready to read. This really made me appreciate the life I have. These days, many
children are extremely selfish, and most of them cannot live without television or video games
for five minutes. But watching these childrens eyes light up right before I read the books was a
wonderful feeling that cant be beat. I could tell they truly appreciated the time I was giving up to
spend with them, which made the whole trip worthwhile. Another satisfying moment was when
many of the childrens parents had come for a parent meeting and stayed a while after to spend

time with their kids before they went back to school. At this moment, watching the way the
parents spent time with their children, I could really see the love that many of these parents have
for their children even though they were very young. Even though these parents may have not
made the best decision at a point in their lives, I could tell that they were trying to make the best
of the situation by giving themselves and their children care and an education. This made me
really appreciate and understand the mission of the YWCA Organization.
I found God present in my service the entire time because there is no other faith than the
faith of a child, but I found His presence the most when I was watching the parents play with
their children. I found Him present here because the love that the parents had for their children
could only come from God. I would not necessarily say God was ever absent because He never
is, but the most unfortunate situation that occurred was when I heard the instructors talking of a
parent who could not bring their child in because she had no gas in her car. In this situation, God
was still there; He just had a reason for her not to be on the road maybe. This was a sad situation
where I wished the parent had more money or better luck getting the necessities she needed for
her and her family.
The YWCA Organization is a facility for teenage parents to bring their children for care
while they finish school. I believe the part of this organization where sin plays a role is in the
selfishness all humans have. I would think, many of these teenage parents were not trying to
have a child when they did. I would think that at a moment in their life, they put their own needs
and desires before anything or anyone else. When a pregnancy results, there are others to think
about. This selfishness can cause many issues along with many blessings. The blessings would
be welcoming a new child into the world. Some of the issues could be a child being neglected or
even a parent being neglected. This all stems from the sin of selfishness. In some situations, there

may be no family issue involved, but most of the time, there is and help is needed. I will tie this
in with scripture from Genesis. We are all sinners. From the beginning of time, we have been
tempted and have sinned. Adam and Eve were both selfish when they ate the fruit from the tree
of good and evil. Just like Adam and Eve, most of the time, we are selfish in our lives and do not
think of what is really important in our lives.
This service learning experience helped me to expand my understanding of Jesus
command to love one another. It did this by helping me to realize that everyone needs love and
needs a sense of belonging. This also taught me that we should love and treat everyone the way
Jesus did when He was on Earth. Many of the readings throughout the class come back to the
topic of Jesus love and how Jesus wants us to love one another. One of the readings we read was
scripture from Luke and John. In these chapters, the Bible explains how Jesus socialized with the
poor and needy of society and explained some of His miracles that He performed while He was
on Earth. This relates to my service learning experience because where I went to complete my
service hours was not the most fortunate community in Baton Rouge. I went there first to
complete my hours, but as my experience progressed, I began going because I actually enjoyed
helping. Jesus wants us to treat everyone with love and kindness no matter where they come
from, and many people do not. Today, many believe they are better than others based on social
rankings and income. This is not the way Jesus wants us to treat each other. This service learning
has taught me that everyone needs help sometimes, no matter where they are from or who they
are, and it is our Christian duty to help all and to not expect anything in return, just as Jesus did.
Jesus so loved the world that He sacrificed His life to save many people who did not even know
Him and many who even persecuted Him. Helping each other out is the least we can do to follow
Jesus commands to love one another.

After reading Making Room by Pohl, I realized that hospitality really has become
something different than it used to be. In my opinion, we use the word hospitality in the wrong
context most of the time. Hospitality, to me, is just welcoming others to your own possessions,
whether that be a house or even ideas. Hospitality should not only occur when throwing parties
or having company over. Hospitality should be a part of our daily lives. I believe the point of
hospitality is to treat others with respect and kindness as you would a friend or relative.
Throughout Jesus time on Earth, He received hospitality in different ways. He was welcomed
into homes, taken care of, and respected by those who believed in Him. During my service
learning experience, I believe I gained a new perspective of hospitality. I think hospitality is
extremely important to practice. Going to the YWCA Organization was hard at first, but the way
they welcomed me made my experience much better. I think throughout my experience, from the
beginning, I was a host. I was welcomed into the facility and was told everything I needed to
know in order to have the best experience with the children. I was there to serve. I took care of
the children by feeding them, washing their hands, and keeping them entertained. I was the host,
and the children were my guests.
Throughout my seven journals, I wrote on the topics of beliefs and practices with regard
to the reading Practicing Theology: Beliefs and Practices in Christian Life by Miroslav Volf,
the question of whether people are generally good or generally bad with regard to scripture from
Genesis, the topic of suffering and its meaning with regard to the reading Tsunami and
Theodicy by David Bentley Hart, the meaning of healing with regard to the reading The
Meaning of Healing: Transcending Suffering by Thomas R. Egnew, and the topic of
eschatology with regard to the reading Essentials of Christian Theology Chapter 9 edited by
William C. Placher.

My service learning experience connected to all of these themes I reflected on in my

journals. My beliefs in God and Gods commandments to love one another influenced my
practices of going to YWCA to volunteer. Even though I had to have the hours in order to pass
my class, I still made the best of the situation, which comes from my beliefs. I also experienced
the question of whether people are generally good and do bad things or whether people are
generally bad and occasionally do good things. After seeing many of the teenage parents
spending quality time with their children, I could see the love in their eyes. This love can only
come from God. While they may have made some not-so-smart decisions in their lifetime, this
does not mean they are bad people. They are good people who occasionally make not-so-good
decisions. Another topic I can relate to my service learning to would be suffering and its
meaning. Many of the teenage parents who bring their children in to the YWCA facility have
probably gone through a form of suffering in their lifetime, whether it be financial, mental, or
even physical suffering. In the reading Tsunami and Theodicy the author talks about how
suffering has no meaning. I believe this is wrong, especially in these situations. Yes, many of
these parents have suffered, but I believe in this case, the purpose of their suffering is for their
children. If they suffer or struggle, it will force them to mature and grow to make the best life for
their children. I believe this is the meaning of many of these parents suffering.
My service-learning experience made me think deeper about my beliefs. At a couple
points during my hours while playing with the children, I would wonder why did God put some
of these children in a situation where their parents struggled to take care of them? I would think
that why would God make them suffer for a problem that was not their fault? This question just
made me realize how God has a plan for everyone and He does not give anyone more than they
can handle. These children are happy at YWCA, and I can see it in the way they play and act.

Maybe the situation the children are in is the situation that will make them who they are
supposed to be. I believe God always has a reason.
The most helpful theological idea that helped me through my service learning experience
was the topic on whether people are generally good or generally bad. Throughout my hours, a
few times, I found myself becoming angry at the parents for having these children at such young
ages. I would become aggravated thinking why even consider having a child when you can
barely take care of your own life? But then, I began to think about all of the mistakes I have
made that were extremely selfish and foolish of me. This experience has helped me to accept that
no one is perfect and a lot of the time, our mistakes make us better people. These teenage parents
are not bad people. They are good people who are making the best of the situation. The
theological idea that helped me the least was the idea of eschatology. I dont find that I can really
apply an idea that I dont understand myself to a situation involving others.
I am extremely thankful that I had to complete service learning hours for this course. I am
even more convinced that I want my career to involve children. I also realized how much I have
grown as a person throughout this course. I did not realize I would be able to apply what I
learned throughout the course in my everyday life so easily, especially in my service learning. I
have learned so much and my reading abilities and vocabulary have definitely expanded due to
the challenging readings. The biggest aspect of the course I am extremely thankful for is the fact
that I explored my beliefs at a deeper level than I ever thought possible. Many of the topics
discussed in class and in the readings I had never even considered before. I know much more
about my faith and myself after taking this course.

Shereen Richard
Theology, Dr. Whidden
Journal #1

I am extremely excited to be in this course, but I dont know much about Theology. I am
Catholic, and I go to church every Sunday, but there is a tremendous amount I do not know. I
know Theology is a major science and is the study of religion and the basic understanding of
God. I know in Theology we will learn about how others perceive God and religion, and I know
people have studied theology since the beginning of time.
I dont know about many other religions other than my own. I know Theology is the
study of God and is based around the beginning of man, but I dont know how or when Theology
became a major science. I know all of the books of the Bible and have read a few of them, but I
havent read Scripture enough to know what each book is all about.
I would love to understand more about the love of God, and I am also curious about how
other people view different religions. I feel that when one believes in something, it is extremely
important to know as much as possible about the subject. I hope to fulfill the goal of learning
more about my faith and myself throughout this course. I also hope to read more Scripture. I
have always been told the way to know God is through the Bible. On a more intellectual side, I
would like to know where and when Theology became a major science and how Bibles are
different in various religions.
I have never taken a Service Learning course before, and I have high hopes for this one. I
hope I have the opportunity to help others during Service Learning. Ive always believed the only
way to help yourself is to help others. I hope to grow as a person and learn more about myself
and my relationship with God through the Service Learning project.

Something Im scared of when it comes to Service Learning is being scared of what I

might see. I have a wonderful life, and Ive always just hoped everyone else did too. I hope this
service learning will help me to think differently, and I hope it will inspire me to help more and
reach out to people who need it.
I have always wanted to really get to know God better through reading Scripture. I have
also wanted to give more of my time to Him, but most of the time, I put my time toward other
activities and interests. Hopefully, this class pushes me make more time in my life for God.
Through this class, I hope to get closer to God and to have a better understanding of overall faith.
Throughout the first assigned reading, Ive learned more about God and read more Scripture than
I have in a while.
I also hope throughout this course I will learn more about other religions and about what
other people believe. I am very curious to view how others see God differently than I do. I hope
through learning this, I will gain more understanding and respect for people who have a different
faith than I do.
My goal for myself in this class is to not only do well academically, but I would also love
to become a more spiritual person. I hope that this class inspires me to make God an even bigger
part of my life after learning more about Him. I hope to take what Ive learned from this class
and apply it to my life and others. I hope after this class, when someone asks me about my faith
or religion, I will have the confidence to answer and to explain my love and faith for God. I have
high expectations for myself, and Im sure this class will have an extremely positive impact on
me.

Shereen Richard
Religion 1310- Intro to Theology
Reflection Journal #2
2/18/14
In Miroslav Volfs Practicing Theology: Beliefs and Practices in Christian
Life, the argument over which comes first: beliefs or practices, is addressed.
Towards the end of the reading, Volf states, Christian beliefs normatively
shape Christian practices, and engaging in practices can lead to acceptance
and deeper understanding of these beliefs. When I reached the end of this
text, this statement stood out to me, and seemed to sum up the entire
paper, but after thinking and discussing the text in class, I began to second
guess whether practices shape beliefs or beliefs shape practices.
When I was born, my parents were split between two different
religions: my father was Muslim and my mother was Baptist. As I grew up,
my parents grew a part and filed for divorce when I was three years old, and
my mother gained full custody. Through my childhood years, I remember
visiting a little Baptist church with my mother every once in a while. I
remember being excited to go visit all of the people I had not seen in a while.
I knew God loved me, but, like most young children, I never really was
interested in what was going on at church. Although we may not have gone
to church every Sunday, my mother instilled the best moral values in me.
She made sure I put others before myself and taught me to help and to be
kind to others no matter the situation. When I turned ten, my mother
remarried, and we were both converted to Catholicism. By the time I became

Catholic, I was old enough to understand what I believed in and was able to
form my own opinion about the religion. I studied the Bible, went to
Catechism, and began to know and love God more than I ever had.
My point of this story is that throughout my life, practices have shaped
my beliefs. The influence of others growing up has guided me to form the
beliefs I have today. Without the guidance I have always been provided with,
there is no telling what morals or beliefs I would have now. I always think
about what my life would be like if my father had full custody over me. I
would have practiced what he practiced and probably believed whatever he
believed. I would probably be Muslim and have a totally different lifestyle
than I have today. Since I did stay with my mother, I practiced being Baptist.
I practiced everything she taught me, and so I believed everything she
believed. Also, when my mother remarried, I became Catholic with my new
family. No, I did not really realize until later how this would change my life,
but I practiced what everyone else practiced, I was baptized like everyone
else, and I went to mass every Sunday with my family. For this, I am grateful,
because now, after having following my familys practices for so many years,
I have formed my own beliefs and opinions about my religion. I am Catholic,
and I dont think my beliefs will change other than gaining an even deeper
understanding of my faith. My beliefs are what make me who I am, and I
have the practices that influenced me to believe to thank.
I can see from the other perspective how beliefs can shape practices.
For example, you must know about cookies before you can bake them. This

is just like you should know about something before you can practice it. One
can also argue that I was practicing based on my parents beliefs and that I
believed that I should do what my parents wanted me to do. This is true, but
I think that in the end, the practices I learned did end up helping me more to
form my beliefs.
I think believing in something and knowing about something are two
different things. I believe first you know or find out about something, then
you practice this something, then your beliefs will form based on your
practices.

Shereen Richard
RELS_1310-Intro to Theology
Journal #3
3/6/14

A topic that has been brought up in class that brought about my

curiosity is the question of whether people are generally bad and
occasionally do good things, or if people are generally good and have a
tendency to do bad things. Ive never really considered this question before
the class and was torn between the two.
Many use the topic of original sin to support that people are born evil. I
will start with the story of Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve were created with
the gift of free will, and they were told by God not to eat the fruit from the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Eventually, in the form of a serpent,
the devil tempted Eve, and Eve ate from the tree. This has brought about
original sin, which is sin we already have the second we are born. Does this
mean we are born evil and have a desire to do evil things? I dont think so. I

think this just signifies that we are born into imperfection, that we are
imperfect when we come into this world, and that we will sin because we are
imperfect, not because we are evil.
In many instances in Genesis, when God created the world and
everything in it, He stated, this is good or even this is very good. The
Bible also says that we were made in Gods image. These statements and
other reasons help me to believe that God created everything good and with
good intentions. Along with His good intentions, He also gave us the freedom
to choose. As imperfect humans, we abuse this free will and use it for
choosing evil at times. But, with this stated, I believe we were all created
good, but make choices that are not good with our gift of free will because
we fall into temptation due to our imperfections.
I have heard people say that there are no bad people, just good people
who have made bad choices. In my opinion, you must have really strong faith
to believe that. Many times I have watched the news and just thought how
could these horrible people have come from God, or how could they have
ever been good? I guess this just shows how we abuse our free will to
choose. I am a positive person, and I always try to see the best in people, but
in the world we live in today, it is really hard to do that. I do believe that in
the worst person out there, there is still some good inside them. These kinds
of people have just made so many bad choices that the goodness has been
entirely submerged under their evilness. Some of these people have only
made one bad decision, but this decision usually affects so many people and

comes from so much evil, that their goodness may seem to have
disappeared. I believe that the good is always there, but we must dig deep
within ourselves to find it.
Something else to support the reason people are good and just choose
to do bad things is the fact that there is more good in the world than there is
bad. Many people would call me crazy for saying that, but if there were more
evil than good in the world, I dont believe we would be living with such
freedom and happiness. Yes, there is a seriously high amount of evil in the
world and not many people have the freedom and luxuries we do, but if we
were all born evil, how would there be any good in the world?
In the end, I am choosing that people are genuinely good and choose
to do bad things. The fact that God created us in His image is enough to say
that we are not born evil if our God is perfect and good. Also, just the fact
that not everyone chooses to be evil or to make bad choices shows that
there is a lot of good in the world. We just have to open our eyes and hearts
to see it.

Shereen Richard
Religion 1310- Section 2
3/20/14
Journal #4
In Tsunami and Theodicy by David Bentley Hart, the topic of suffering
and its meaning is addressed. Hart states that he believes that suffering has
no meaning. He thinks that when we think of a God who allows innocent
people to suffer, this God is not worth worshipping, so he concludes that
suffering has no meaning. I half agree with this article. Part of me believes it
is horrible that innocent people have to suffer, but another part of me
believes that suffering does have meaning and an ultimate purpose.

I had an aunt named Caroline. Growing up, she worked at my

elementary school as a cafeteria lady, so I spoke with her quite a bit. We
grew close, and I began to realize how wonderful of a person she was. She
was a very bright woman with a very sweet and happy disposition about life.
About six years ago, we found out my Aunt Caroline had Leukemia. We were
very worried, but we knew she was a very strong lady and would do
everything in her power to fight the cancer, and she did. A few years later,
she was in remission. The good news lasted for a few years until we received
unfortunate news that the cancer had moved to her colon. This time was
even worse.
Last year we attended my other Aunt and Uncles 50th year wedding
anniversary. My aunt Caroline was there, and she seemed wonderful. My
mother and I thought she was even radiant -looking and we thought for sure
she was getting better. A few weeks later, we got the news that she was in
the hospital again, and she wouldnt have much longer. I really didnt know
what to expect. I had never seen someone suffering with severe cancer
before. When I walked into her hospital room, I was totally destroyed. The
radiant, healthy looking woman we saw at the anniversary was not there
anymore. She was hurting and moaning constantly, and I could not even
imagine how much pain she was in. At that moment, I began to wonder why
would God let a woman as wonderful as she was, suffer like that? The next
day she passed away.

With regard to my Aunt Caroline, I would like to believe her suffering

did mean something and that she did not just suffer horribly without any
meaning. This is when I think of Jesus. Although Jesus purpose in this Earth
was not to suffer, but to obey and bring the world back to God, He did suffer
horribly. I believe this suffering did have an ultimate purpose. I may not know
what this purpose is, but He was Jesus, and Jesus is one with God. God is allknowing, and I dont believe God would do anything without meaning.
I believe suffering is a horrible thing humans have to go through. When
a child or someone so genuinely good suffers, it makes me wonder why do
we suffer? But, I do not at all believe we suffer all of our lives with no
purpose. Maybe suffering is meaningless, but we make it meaningful in the
end. This makes suffering meaningful. What I also think is that sometimes
through suffering, you become stronger. That is a meaning. Also, if one does
not become stronger, he or she may find Christ through suffering. Lastly,
maybe through suffering in this world, God grants us the peace in Heaven. I
believe this is the ultimate meaning of suffering.
My Aunt Caroline suffered more than I can even imagine in this world,
but I believe God had a purpose for her. I believe the purpose that comes
from suffering is that it helps us to realize that we will one day be in Paradise
with God where suffering no longer exists.

Shereen Richard
RELS 1310 Sec 2
Journal #5
4/3/14
Throughout ones life, one will always suffer. Whether the suffering is a
broken bone, a terminal illness, the loss of a loved one, or a common cold, at
a point in ones life, he or she will have to face suffering. After reading The
Meaning of Healing: Transcending Suffering, I thought about my suffering
throughout my life. I wondered how and why did I heal? What is healing?
In this reading, the author interviews a sample of people and asks
about their views of healing. The results provided three central themes of
healing: wholeness, narrative, and spirituality.
The definition of healing as becoming whole again I find only to be a
part of the definition of healing. When I get sick, I obviously want my body to
return to the way and to the health it was before. But the issue with this
definition is that whole can mean many different things. In my case, whole
means good bodily health. In the case of a person with a mental illness such
as depression, whole could mean to be able to socialize with people again.
Also, mentioning the word again implies that the person was already once
whole. When applying this to a person who has had a heart defect since
birth, how is this person supposed to compare how he or she was before, if
he or she has been ill all of his or her life?
The definition of healing as a narrative I believe is a great part of what
healing actually is. What this means is that when a person is sick or suffering
and goes to be healed or made better, the doctor or whoever is trying to

heal this person, becomes a part of his or her life narrative. At this point in
the time, medicine is becoming more and more fast-pace and less personal. I
believe this is the wrong direction for medicine to be going in. In any type of
suffering or illness, healing is not only accomplished through physically
making someone healthy, but also mentally and emotionally sticking by him
or her through his or her healing. This also helps the patient to heal mentally,
physically, and emotionally. Being healed in these areas all at the same time,
I believe, makes one heal faster and makes one become stronger during his
or her healing journey. When a person who is healing someone becomes a
part of his or her patients life narrative, meaningful healing occurs, resulting
in a stronger and a longer-lasting result.
The definition of healing relating to spirituality is a major part of
healing. The article states that healing is a harmony between mind, body
and spirit. This is a well-rounded definition of healing, but I think this
definition of healing is rare to come by. In my life, I cant think of a time
where my mind, body, and spirit were all in sync. Maybe this definition
concludes that complete healing does not happen often. Another point the
author made with regard to the topic of spirituality is when Kubler-Ross
states, Nothing is a faster teacher than suffering. The more we suffer, the
earlier the spiritual quadrant opens and matures. I believe this statement
contains a lot of truth, but is not totally correct. Suffering does force a person
to learn about his or herself, beliefs, and own life story. But I dont agree that
this happens every time. Many people lose their faith and their meaning of

life through their suffering. All in all, I believe this statement is true for many,
but does not apply to all that suffer.
I dont have a set definition of healing. I honestly dont think there is
one because many people perceive healing in different ways according to
how they see themselves and the world. I think I heal differently than the
person sitting next to me does. What I do know for certain is that healing is
not just physical. To truly help someone become what he or she perceives as
healed, one should help him or her mentally, spiritually, and physically and
should try to get him or her to where he or she needs to be in his or her life.
When I become a healthcare professional, I hope to heal each patient as
much as I possibly can. I hope to heal them mentally, emotionally, and
physically, and I want to be with them every step of the way. This is what
healing is all about and what every healthcare professional should try to
accomplish with every patient.

Shereen Richard
RELS 1310 Sec 2
Journal #6
4/21/14
Throughout my life, I have been a pretty faithful person. I have gone to
church every Sunday, I read my Bible, and I pray and talk to God every day. I
try to express my love for God in many of the things I do, but I often wonder
if my love for God is good enough? Will God decide to send me to Heaven or
to Hell? What will happen after I take my last breath on this Earth? After
reading Essentials of Christian Theology Chapter 9 about eschatology, I
began to explore these questions.
I have always struggled with the topic of Hell. I have always believed
that everyone has a chance for forgiveness and can go to Heaven to live in
eternity with God. I believe God does respect our decisions in the end, but I
cant imagine why someone would want to deny God after being in His
presence. Hell is a place of justice, but I just dont understand how anyone
would rather be in Hell than in Heaven.

Another topic I have always struggled with is what Heaven actually is

like. I believe that our souls are eternal and our bodies are mortal. I also
believe when we die, we see God, and based upon our lives on Earth and our
faith in Him, we either go to Heaven, Hell, or Purgatory. I have asked many
people this question of what Heaven is like and I have received some helpful
answers and some very discouraging answers. One answer that I received
was that we would only be little balls of light, which would be our souls, in
Heaven, and we will forget our life and everyone on Earth because we will
only need to know God. This answer truly bothered me. I want to be in
Heaven with God and be eternally happy with Him, but my family and friends
are the people who helped me through my life on Earth and have helped with
my relationship with God. I cannot understand how my life would be without
them. The answer I did like was that Heaven will be like our lives today, just
a whole lot better. I have read many books by people who have had an
experience with Heaven and God. These books, especially Heaven is for Real,
have helped me tremendously to think of what Heaven actually is. These
answers do give me something to work with, but I guess, since I am human, I
will not know until my day comes to see Gods face.
An issue in the reading that I found extremely interesting were the
topics of futuristic eschatology and realized eschatology. Futuristic
eschatology is the belief that Jesus return will be an obvious public event.
Realized eschatology is the belief that Gods reign is already occurring in
secret. These are two situations I have never considered until reading this

excerpt. My opinion and belief, you could say, would be a merging of both
scenarios, which was also mentioned in the reading. I think when Jesus was
on Earth, He was the start of the way that God wanted the world to be. Jesus
came to Earth to show Gods love for us. He showed how we all could be
forgiven if we follow and love the Lord. I believe this was the start of Gods
reign. I believe God impacts the world everyday more and more and the
world will know Him more little by little. Many believe the Lord will come to
Earth at its worst point, but I believe the contrary. I believe God will come
one day when all know Him. Then He will come down in an obvious way
where all will know and see His face.
There are many things one can believe about the world, about God,
and about the after-life. Maybe we are all wrong and God is even greater
than anyone has ever thought. Maybe God will have something totally
different in mind than we have ever thought. We, as humans, try very hard to
interpret Gods commands and signs and try to communicate with Him. A lot
of the time, I think these interpretations and communications bring us closer
to God, but other times, we may think too much into the situation, which
may confuse us even more. In conclusion with this subject, I believe that we
all just need to have faith that God knows best and knows what is best for us
and for the world. In my case, this is the way I can find peace with the
questions I have about what comes after this.

Shereen Richard
4/29/14
Religion 1310- Section 2
Journal #7
Now that the semester is closing, I know more now about Theology than I have
ever known. I also know more about myself and more about my relationship with God. I
am very thankful that I enrolled in this Theology course.
Theology is the study of God and everything that relates to God. This leads to the
conclusion that Theology is the study of everything because God is the origin of

everything. Learning this in the beginning of the course helped me to be open-minded

throughout the course. This statement helped me to realize that in this Theology course,
we were not only learning definitions and Bible verses. Yes, we studied different views
and perspectives of God and the world like I had predicted, but this class has forced me to
find out how I view God and the world, and how my beliefs and opinions compared to
others.
Some topics in Theology I still dont know about are more of the textbook
aspects of Theology, such as all of the names of the books of the Bible and how other
religions in different areas of the world relate to Christianity. Although I did not obtain
this information in this course, I am thoroughly satisfied with what I did learn. I learned
much about the deeper questions of my faith. Many of the questions that have came up
through the course, I had never thought about. This aspect of the class has made me a
better Christian.
What I would love to know about Theology is the answers to all of the questions
that were brought up during the course. Some of the questions brought up are impossible
to answer because the answers can only come from God Himself. Here are a few
questions I still have no answer for: What is heaven like? What makes someone go to
Heaven or Hell? If God made everything good, then who made Hell? How does God
stay just when deciding our fate of Heaven or Hell?
Another aspect of Theology that I was hoping to study more of was the Bible. I
have always struggled with studying the Bible and was hoping for more of an easier and
more satisfying way to read the Bible.

My expectations for service learning were exceeded in a way I had never

expected. I volunteered at YWCA, which is a child-care facility for high school parents to
bring their children to. Going into the facility, I expected to be asked to feed the children
or help change diapers without much time to truly connect with the children, but I was
very wrong. My experience at the facility was one of the best I have ever had. For the
short time I was there, I formed a connection with these children. Seeing how smart,
sweet, and beautiful they were and how bright their futures were touched my heart. Just
seeing how their faces lit up when I read them a book made me realize there is so much
joy and innocence in children. All children deserve a loving childhood, and we can all
make a difference in the world with the little things we do.
My main goal for this class was met. I genuinely wanted to grow in my
relationship with God and wanted to learn more about myself. I can honestly say I have
accomplished both of these goals. Doubts have always been in my mind about my faith.
Exploring the questions of faith and Theology has truly strengthened my relationship
with God and have diminished these doubts. All of the readings and questions about faith
have helped me to see where I was in my faith and where I wanted to be. The class
discussions and reflections have helped me to grow and discover more about myself and
about my perspective and views of God. No doubt, this class has made me more aware of
what I believe and has helped strengthen my relationship with God and with the world
around me.