#3 Do you have a moment?

Explanation

One of the best things about majoring in comparative religious studies is that you are exposed to all sorts of religious movements, both through your peers and simply by virtue of being curious about religion and equipped to talk about it.

One side effect of being an undergraduate student of religion is that you want to strike up a conversation with any street missionary you see, to the detriment of these missionaries. At least, it was definitely the case with me. I went to Scientology-backed exhibitions, stopped to talk to Krishna Consciousness folks to discuss whether Krishna is more worthy of veneration than Shiva, and studied brochures of Jehovah’s Witnesses, who at the time had not yet been labeled by the Russian government as an extremist organization.

Occasionally, my attention surprised or even disturbed interlocutors who clearly did not expect so much attention. But this experience was important in teaching me to appreciate the diversity of contemporary spirituality and learn about different beliefs and practices. Some of these conversations even inspired my first conference presentations.