Faith in Action: Can Religion Bridge Divides and Build Peace?

March 10, 2025
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Two students smile as they stand with their research project during the winter block Learning Cluster Fair.

In a world increasingly divided by fear and mistrust, can religion become a force for peace? This question guided students in Professor Tetsushi Ogata’s Learning Cluster as they explored diverse faith traditions, visited 10 different places of worship, and met with scholars, religious representatives, and peers at other universities.

By traveling to Boston, studying real cases, and talking across faiths, students tackled fundamental questions: How do we restore faith in human dignity? What can world religions teach us about respecting the dignity of human life? How do we collaborate across deep divides — even with those whose words or actions promote division?

The experience sparked moments of reflection and transformation. Students emerged with new perspectives and insights on the role of faith in fostering peace. Their journey is captured in a short film and portrait gallery, offering a glimpse into the impact of interfaith dialogue in action.

Between Blood & Faith - Religion for Peacebuilding by Jun Sawada & Matheus Vicentin

Sayyidah Ragsdale ’27

Sayyidah Ragsdale ’27 wears a striped shirt and holds a tote bag outside on SUA's campus.
“Something Professor Joshua Snyder shared during the scholars’ exchange — ‘Sin is the failure to bother to love’ — will last with me beyond my time at SUA. His point that wrongdoing is a failure to love and connect with one another reminded me how much we need to prioritize compassion and love in our interactions with others.”

Shea Moloney ’27

Shea Moloney wears a grey sweatshirt, blue jeans, and backpack and poses for a photo with both hands in his pockets.
“There’s no one sentence I could say to encompass everything we learned, but the bottom line is that we, as humans of all different faith and non-faith backgrounds, have so much more in common than we let ourselves believe. Our interests align and we want the best for each other. The longer we go without that awareness, the more divided we become.”

Valentina Ferreira Einsfeld ’26

Valentina Ferreira Einsfeld '26 wears a blue hoodie that says "Soka" in yellow lettering and she smiles off into the distance on SUA's campus.
“We learned that the true value of religion is to guide us to develop a cultural responsibility and help us engage in reciprocal altruism. We can demystify scriptures while also uplifting ethical solidarity rooted in religious beliefs, especially because religion creates community.”