Producer's Journal: Katherine Sanderson

          Over the time I have spent researching our topic, I have not once felt that the information I was uncovering was not interesting. From the start of our project, I found it fascinating learning about holidays that I have celebrated my entire life, and learning about how they have and are celebrated and why they are celebrated in those ways. I was not raised under any certain religion, so as a child I was one of those people who attended church for Easter and that was the extend of my knowledge of Christianity or the religious significance the holidays I celebrated had. It’s only been over the last four years since I’ve become a Catholic that I’ve come to recognize and appreciate the history and the values behind these major holidays. And I must admit, that since I’ve gained this new knowledge, I’ve often felt a feeling of superiority to those who didn’t have a religion, as well as a feeling of pity for those who didn’t know what religion could do for them. I felt like being religious made me more moral, such as my friends Melissa and Charlotte, who I worked on this project with. But over the course of this project, I have come to look at my religion with a more critical eye and see the parts that I don’t agree with. I say “parts I don’t agree with” instead of faults, because I still do feel that there’s no superior religion.  I really encourage the institution of religion, as I see it as a good structure for one to base their moral and ethics in life. But I know that even a religious person can have no morals, and that many moral people don’t have religion in their lives. Even though I knew that Catholicism/Christianity, along with all other religions, has had their bad points in history, where they have disregarded universal values, I never realized how much interaction and conflict can be caused by religion. In this project, I saw how Christians celebrating their holy days can cause controversy, and how the world has adapted to become more secular. I see religion now not as just a way in which an individual lives their life, but I understand how much religion plays a part in politics, culture, and world events. Although the world is becoming more secularized and religion is no longer the center of most cultures, it still is present in so many aspects of life. I’m truly enjoy my religion, and I hope that others enjoy their religion, whatever that may be, just as much as I do.