PENNSYLVANIA, November 15, 2015 (Bi-College News): A recent disagreement over the presence of religious statues in the Prayer Room in Aelwyd, the Religious House on Cambrian Row, has led the Interfaith Council of Bryn Mawr College to reexamine the way in which different faith groups could best utilize the non-denominational prayer space.
The Interfaith Council was officially established this year as a way of facilitating dialogue between students of all faith groups and non-faith groups. At the first meeting of the Council, certain groups voiced concern that people might feel uncomfortable worshipping their faith in a space that housed other religious symbols.
According to Kayla Schneider-Smith, one of the Interfaith Student Co-Coordinators, the question arose in response to a Hindu shrine that belongs to the Dharmic Students Association. Schneider-Smith said that the shrine is “very visible” and that groups on campus had “differing perspectives” as to whether the room should be “an interfaith space, where everyone can keep their different symbols of worship and co-exist together, or whether it should be…a neutral space”.
Schneider-Smith gives credence to both sides of the discussion. “On one hand, we think, as interfaith coordinators, it’s a really moving idea to have a lot of different religions and representations of faith coexist in one room together, because that’s what we’re trying to promote: interfaith on campus. But on the other hand we want everyone to feel comfortable, that’s also our job.” She advised those attending the meeting to discuss the issue with their respective groups.