Lindsay Nock Project #1 Attend a Religious Function The purpose of this project was to help me become more aware

and accepting of intercultural diversity. I had to attend a religious gathering or meeting that is different from my own. I was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but I have not attended church or practiced any religion for over six years. When I was looking into a church function I could attend, I came across the religion of an Evangelical Christian. The website I found this on provided a link to a church website. This is where I found The Rock Church. This particular religious group in cooperates Rock and Roll into their weekly church meetings and services. While there are a few similarities between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and The Rock Church, there are also a significant amount of differences. Attending a different church meeting then I had grown up with was very interesting and scary at the same time. I had no idea what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised and I think this experience not only helped me become more culturally accepting, but also more willing to go out of my way to communicate. Eight percent of Utah residents are Evangelical Christians or in other words part of Great Commission Churches. These churches stress the spread of the gospel to all people of the world. They study and teach the doctrine that is contained in the Bible. Members of the church believe in the resurrection or rebirth of Christ. This occurrence is at the center of their beliefs and is believed to have changed the world. They believe in one God, Jesus Christ. They know he died for them and that people can be forgiven of their sins and be resurrected after death. The coming of Christ is something that these members look forward to, it brings them joy. Baptism is also practiced, not as a receiving of eternal life, but as a new beginning in a life filled with God. The Rock Church holds baptism ceremonies outside in a pool of water. Participating

individuals wear casual clothes and are asked to give a public testimony after being submerged in the water. Obviously, this is a continuation of the natural relaxed and casual environment which is a goal of The Rock Church. They want you to be comfortable and to become excited about life and the life you can have with God. There are eight values that are practiced according to John Halpert, a Great Commission Church leader. These values are; grace, commitment to God and his word, all nations reached with the gospel, local church attendance, church leadership, oneness or love and unity without judgment, raising godly/biblical families, and every member is a minister. Halpert also said that the goal is to have a revolutionary church or in other words a religion without tradition. The overall vision of The Rock Church is, One life at a time, one world in our lifetime. This vision is very clearly expressed at every church gathering. When I attended a service, I was welcomed by many when I entered the building. Many leaders seemed very encouraging towards and happy to see new members. The room the meeting was held in was very dark other than the light from the stage. It was very laid back, inviting, and relaxing. The rock and roll music that was played throughout the meeting is used to bring joy and celebrate in the spirit of God. The music was played during the meeting and at designated times to keep the positive and comfortable atmosphere. Throughout the meeting there was a lot of cheering, clapping, and open exclamation of Gods name. At the beginning of the meeting, the Pastor mentioned the progress of their religion and the spread of the gospel. It is something that is positive for all within the vicinity. There was a speaker at the meeting that used more personal experiences than doctrine when explaining his reasoning. He talked about Gods plan and Gods roll in eternity. He said there is nothing you can do for God, because God is God. Towards the end of the meeting the Pastor

invited people to come pray, confess, and ask for help to become a better person before God. He said it was time to make life right with Jesus. The Rock Church is very different from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. At the LDS Church, reverence is expected. There is no clapping or cheering. The LDS believe strongly in tradition, structured meetings, specific and individual prayers, and designated meetings. While these church members believe in the resurrection of Christ and after death, they do not place it as the center focus of their religion. The LDS believe in baptism as well, but not in such an informal way. There is a specific prayer used and the individual is promised Gods spirit if they stay true to God and his will. While many references to the Bible are used in the LDS church, their main source of doctrine is The Book of Mormon. Bishops, teachers, and all members refer to doctrine more often than using personal experiences. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints it is believed that you can do something for God. You can follow his commandments, raise a family within the church, and always strive to keep God as a central focus in your life. Robert L. Millet, the former dean of religious education and BYU quoted a scripture to help the world understand one of the similarities between Christians and Mormons. It was from the book of Nephi in the Book of Mormon, it said; We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies. His point was that Christ is at the Center of both religions worship and faith. The Culture Environment Value Theory can be applied to my religious experience. This theory places emphasis on the holders of power, the quality of life and service, expression of emotions, and the reason, purpose, and roll a person has in life. The power within The Rock Church is held by God. The power of God is expressed through the Pastors to the members of the church. The pastors determine the material or doctrine that will be taught. Some of the material

taught is reflecting on the value or overall importance of life. The Rock Church stresses that life has great value when God is at the center. In Intercultural Communication in Contexts the term Uncertainty Avoidance is used. This term is used to describe uncertainty or uneasiness with change or something new. I felt very uneasy when I was asked to complete this project and attend a religious meeting that I am not familiar with. It didnt turn out as bad as I expected and I was able to see and feel some of the emotional excitement and joy of the members of the church. I think that overall the long term effects of The Rock Church are going to be very good. Although I felt uncertain about attending The Rock Church, I was also very excited. I was excited to see and hear about something different than what I have been taught throughout my life. I actually feel like I learned quite a bit about Evangelical Christians and members of The Rock Church in just a short amount of time. I learned that these individuals celebrate in God and want people to join with them and love the life they have and find joy in the gospel. I noticed that throughout this project, my unease slowly went away and I found myself more open to understanding what The Rock Church is really about and what their beliefs are. I have remained relatively excited throughout this experience, and I would like to say even more so now because I have discovered something new. I think that applying the value theory to my learning helped me to put the pieces together and really understand the roll of communication in everyday life and activities. I think I can use the knowledge I have gained with this project in my daily life. I believe that if I push myself to take the first step it will become easier to accept things, people, religions and many cultures that are different. I think that my future career as a Park Ranger will require my skills in intercultural communication. This experience will help me to be more willing to accept people for their beliefs and values and not focus on the differences.

Works Cited

Martin N. Judith, N.K.T. (2012). Intercultural Communication in Contexts. (6th ed., pp. 107-111) McGraw-Hill Companies.

The rock church. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.experiencetherock.com/who-weare/about-the-rock/

Walker. J. (2011 November 27). Lds Christianity: Differences that matter. Retrieved from http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700201923/LDS-Christianity-Differences-thatmatter.html?pg=all