Sunday, October 14, a variety of Furman religious organizations came together to put on a tie dye event for students called, “A Splash of Religion: Tying Faith Groups Together.” The goal of this event was to celebrate a multitude of religions as one Furman community. The participating faith groups included the Jewish Student Association (JSA), Muslim Student Association (MSA), Interfaith and Delight Ministries.

Free t-shirts were provided for students that attended as well as religious cuisines from each group’s cultural background. Items on the menu included falafels from MSA, challah bread from JSA and vegetables from Interfaith to represent the Buddhist diet. Donuts from Delight Ministries were also served to align with their national collegiate chapter’s tagline, “Donuts & Delight.”

JSA president, Morgan Cooper, spearheaded the event and was the originator of the idea of the collaborative experience. Cooper said, “As president of one of the smaller religious organizations on campus, I wanted to spread awareness of my organization while doing the same for other religious groups as well.”

Cooper feels that it is important to come together as a community no matter what religious beliefs a person follows.

“We are all a part of Furman’s community, and this event was a reflection of an initiative to work together as a group of people with a variety of beliefs and backgrounds,” Cooper said.

This “tying of religions” through tie dying t-shirts and enjoying different ethnic foods reflected a celebration of religion as a whole. Cooper’s overarching intent was to show that the boundaries between religions are not as defined as one might think.

Through this event, JSA, Delight Ministries, MSA, and Interfaith defied the idea that all religions are separated by their varying beliefs. Instead, these organizations reflected an initiative to unify as one subset of Furman’s community that contributes to Furman’s colorful range of organizations on campus.