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Video related to this article is available below.Issue date: 9/18/07 Section: News
Breaking the ice via stereotypes
Interfaith organization PRISM debunks common religious slurs in first fall meeting
Alex Melamed
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Last night's introductory meeting of Programs in Religious and Interfaith and Spirituality Matters featured a heated discussion about religious stereotypes to kick off the organization's second year.
About 20 mostly returning members representing various religious groups on campus gathered to comment on a variety of stereotypes that ranged from "Jews are racist, greedy and cheap" to "Catholics have three gods."
The event allowed people to "express underlying feelings," said PRISM chair and College senior Jon Weiner.
"People were honest," he said.
After a brief introduction from University Chaplain William Gibson, who called PRISM "one of the greatest opportunities at Penn," Weiner passed out sticky notes to each member, directing everyone to jot down a few stereotypes they knew about each religion, and then to organize themselves by the faith they affiliate with.
"There were many common misconceptions," said College sophomore Radhika Gharpure, a new addition to PRISM .
Gharpure dispelled some of the common myths associated with her faith.
"Hinduism is [actually] monotheistic," she told a room of surprised faces.
While some stereotypes stemmed from a lack of knowledge, others were simply popularized slurs.
"All the negative things people wrote down are things they hear or get in the media," said Wharton senior Megan Mayer, a representative from the Newman Center, Penn's Catholic ministry.
Mayer offered her perspective on the Catholic trinity.
"The idea of the Trinity is that it's a mystery, or three manifestations," she explained.
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