About CWRUPA:

1. What exactly is your organization?

CWRUPA is an academic study group dedicated to the exploration of religous, philosophical, and spiritual traditions. It is not a church group. The students who make up CWRUPA's membership are simply interested in examining the belief systems of other cultures. Others seek to provide knowledge to the general student body about their own traditions.

2. What do you do at your meetings?

Our meetings are either lectures, workshops, demonstrations, or socials. Lectures are our most common type of meeting. We invite professors and experts from all over to come discuss various traditions with us. Lectures also of ten take the form of question/answer sessions or debates. During our workshops, we teach specific arts and crafts that are linked to certain spiritual or philosophical traditions. Students may learn a "festival" recipe or a sacred dance during our workshops. Demonstrations are enactments of example ceremonies and practices. Our demonstrations are usually performances put on exclusively by either members or guests, allowing the general audience to observe without the hands-on aspect of a workshop. Socials are loosely themed parties held just for the fun of it :)

3. Do you perform rituals? Will I be expected to worship?

CWRUPA does not advocate any one specific religion or tradition. Therefore, we do not have regular worship as would be found in a church group. However, we do often hire performers to demonstrate or enact rituals from various traditions. While members are usually afforded opportunities to help out, this involvement is voluntary. No one is ever asked to worship. These demonstrations are held for educational purposes rather than religious ones.

4. Why do people join CWRUPA? Are they disgruntled with mainstream religions, looking for something new, unsure about their spiritual identity, or do they just wish to supplement their current religious life?

Each of these is probably true for some members, and many people attend CWRUPA meetings because they are seeking to make a change in their spiritual lives. However, other members are quite satisfied with their own faiths and attend simply to gain information on the beliefs of their friends and associates. Most of our members are seeking a non-religious environment where they can explore and discuss religious and philosophical views without feeling as if they are "outsiders" interrupting someone's sacred ceremonies. Sometimes, our lectures will compliment topics covered in classes on campus, so students will attend to hear the additional information.

5. What kind of people join your organization? Is your group open to everyone?

Generally, we get undergraduate and graduate students from Case Western Reserve University :) We also have a few alums who still drop in on our meetings now and then. They're all friendly, accepting people. This doesn't mean CWRUPA is some Utopia where no one ever has a personality or belief conflict with anyone else, but we get along amazingly well for so diverse a group of people. CWRUPA is open to everyone. Within the guidlines of University Policy and the Undergraduate Student Government, CWRUPA does not discriminate. Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists...everyone is welcome to come to our meetings, so long as they are willing to follow the university standards for proper student conduct.

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