 "Photo: DN PHOTO MARIA STRAUSS")
Megan Sharp, a 2007 Ball State alumna, talked about what she personally took from Hinduism during a nine month stay in India.
Sharp sat with Ball State University students and community members alike at the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies to discuss her religious and life changing experiences. Guests were encouraged to ask questions and challenge what Sharp said to fully take in the ideas she presented.
Sharp mainly focuses on the similarities between Christianity and Hinduism. With the help of coordinator Dr. George Wolfe, Sharp also discussed parallelism between religious ideals and teachings.
Sharp is currently working to get her master's degree at Taylor University in environmental science. She graduated with her bachelor's degree in political science emphasized in international studies. Her minor degrees in religious studies, peace conflict resolution and international resource management also contributed to current endeavors.
Through Taylor University, Sharp found a program called ACTS (Agricultural, Craft, and Trade Studies). ACTS, a Christian-based organization, provided an apartment for Sharp to live at for the duration of her stay.
Although she participated in a number of eco-friendly projects in India, Sharp's primary project included a waste water aquacultural system. The project successfully took waste from three campus dormitories and ran it through a gravel filter and two separate ponds. The two ponds had many plants that were able to take away nutrients from the waste water for compost and to feed cattle. The pond water eventually became clean enough to raise table fish.
Sharp said she was initially scheduled to stay in Bangalore, India for the last six months of 2008. At the end of her stay, Sharp decided to stay an additional six months until her visa expired. During the last three months of her stay, Sharp traveled around to really focus on Indian culture and Hinduism.
Living in the ACTS Christian community surrounded by Hindu communities, Sharp was challenged by both her faith and her peers. She stood out in the aspect that she took time to immerse herself in the Indian culture, including Hinduism.
Sharp said one neighbor in the ACTS community in particular showed extreme worry when Sharp showed interests in Hindu culture.
"This girl said, by no means, was I supposed to eat any of the food when I went to celebrations. She said that since the food was presented to their gods, the food was not Christian," she said. "I had a great time at the celebration, and I am still a Christian."
Sharp visited several Hindu churches, and she even had her first true meditation experience in a Hindu church.
Dr. George Wolfe, Center for Peace and Conflict Studies coordinator, said the turnout at Monday night's interfaith meeting of about 40 guests far exceeded normal attendance.
"It was very nice to see so much interest," he said. "Usually, ten to fifteen people attend. This is the most we have ever had."
Following the presentation, many of the guests asked Sharp questions and even challenged her Christianity. Discussion quickly became a key element in the comparison between Hinduism and Christianity.
Sharp explained to the guests that while Hinduism changed her world view, it did not damage her Christian beliefs.
"I don't believe any human fully knows God. We use religion to try to get closer to him, but the truth is different for all of us," she said. "This is part of my personal struggle and my personal religious journey."
is a member of the 
1 comments
by William C. Doublestein"Logic!" said the Professor half to himself, "Why don't they teach logic in these schools?" I think C.S. Lewis got it right in his book "The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe," using the Professor's frustration to criticize England's education system for not teaching students how to think. In fact, as I reflect on the past three years of my college career at Ball State, I remember endless examples of memorizing facts, writing summaries, and listening to lectures, but rare was the occasion that I was asked to completely think for myself, form my own original ideas, or escape the box that has been enslaving me behind the mask of grades, rubrics, and multiple-choice tests. It is as though I am expected to take in everything I hear and blindly agree with the majority, and this letter is a reaction against such conformity. So for you that enjoy thinking in addition to listening and reading, I want to propose a question that was recently raised in the Ball State Daily Newspaper's article "Student brings Hindu experience to BSU." In the article, Ball State graduate Megan Sharp describes her recent visit to India, explaining her immersion in the Hindu culture, and comparing Hinduism to Christianity as parallel religions. The article ends with Megan's words, "I don't believe any human fully knows God. We use religion to try to get closer to him, but the truth is different for all of us." And with this background information I propose my question: What is truth? Over and over I've heard Megan's argument, that truth is different for all of us, and after thinking of the implications I cannot imagine a world where such an idea could be accurate. If truth were relative, would it not be true that this newspaper would only exist if you believed it to exist? Or what about rejection? If you ask a girl out and she says no, does her no really mean no, or could it simply be her truth rather than yours? All I'm getting at here is that we need to be a student body that thinks, one that recognizes silliness, and one that stands up for real truth. Otherwise, we will go on believing that Christianity and Hinduism are the two different religions that say the same thing.