Throughout the history of human life, from the birth of the first human to today, religion has always played a huge role in our daily life. Religion has provided many people with a set of standards to follow, while also providing guidance to the lost and finding purpose in life. This often gives people reasons to do more good in the world and makes them want to help those in need. So it is very important to have a great understanding of all world religions. This allows you to see the perspectives of others and how their actions are very much influenced by their practices and beliefs. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay For this particular site visit, I attended a Friday prayer at the Albanian-American Islamic Center in Queens. As a Christian, who is not religious at all and has never attended a religious event outside of the required masses in high school, I was ready to see things I had never seen before. In Bradley Herling's A Beginner's Guide to the Study of Religion, he identifies self-awareness, comparison, defamiliarization, and empathy as the four crucial elements of the study of religion. I made sure to use all of these items during my stay at the Islamic Center. It helped me put myself in the shoes of other people at the mosque and see how they practice their beliefs. At first, I practiced self-awareness by learning about the Muslim religion and finding out what happened during a Friday prayer. I didn't want to look stupid so I made sure I was prepared. I learned online what to wear, so I wore a long sleeve shirt and khakis. When I first walked into the Islamic Center, I knew I had to take my shoes off at the door. Then I waited another five minutes for the actual prayer to begin. Since I was not going to participate in the prayer, I was told to stand in the back and observe. Once I saw the Imam setting up the Minbar, I knew the prayer was beginning. The prayer began with the Imam praising Allah in Arabic saying things like: “Allah is the greatest, glory to my lord, the greatest. Allah hears those who praise Him, praise is due to the Lord. » After about two minutes, all those who were practicing the prayer knelt down with their foreheads touching the ground, repeating: “Glory to you, the Most High. Allah is the greatest. » They repeated these movements about four times and ended up on their knees, sitting up straight, repeating: “O Allah, send prayers on Muhammad and on the family of Muhammad. Peace and blessings of Allah be upon you. As they uttered the last line: “Peace and blessings of Allah be upon you,” the worshipers opened their eyes and began shaking hands with the people around them. Once the prayer was over, some people left immediately, while others stayed and socialized. Those who left immediately seemed to be in a hurry. I was able to strike up a conversation with one of the people who stayed behind to socialize. His name was Aqib and he said people who leave immediately usually rush to work. They do their best to say a prayer before leaving for work. Being self-aware throughout the prayer allowed me to know what was happening during the prayer. Most importantly, it allowed me to put myself in the shoes of the people involved and see their point of view. As Bradley Herling explains on page 17, after giving examples of self-awareness, he states: “.