After looking at stories of some of the major struggles of our world today, hunger, violence, oppression, environmental destruction, students at Southwest Open High School in Cortez wanted to explore the roots of these often tragic episodes and try to understand how we have gotten where we are today. As the students explored these issues, they discovered one common element that was fundamental in each story: religion, for better or worse, has played possibly the most significant role in shaping culture. The students set out to uncover the mysterious power of religion, forcing them to confront their own misconceptions and charged believers of certain faiths to look more critically at their religion.
The following audio pieces on Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are the result of this work, and include the voices of religious leaders and followers from around the world. Sometimes deeply personal, these audio productions ask authentic questions, and explore the complicated answers, about the role of religion in American culture today.
