This week we discussed the theory of secularization and how it applies to the landscape of religion in Europe and Britain. There were many conflicting articles with many conflicting views on the topic, and overall it was very interesting to see so many different interpretations on the concept. The question of whether or not religion is disappearing proved to be a much more complicated question than I would have expected going into this class. Beforehand I never would have thought that there was a chance of religion dying out anywhere, but now I understand that there’s a very real possibility that it could vanish completely, at least from some areas of the world. And I must admit that while I was apprehensive of this “jigsaw” format of teaching at first, it has proven to be a much more interesting method of education than I would have thought. It’s proven engaging and meaningful, and an excellent way to introduce students to many different standpoints on an issue. I look forward to how this teaching method applies to the concept of individualized religion tomorrow, as it proves to be a very interesting topic to discuss. Already the article I’ve been assigned to, “Everyday Religion as Lived,” by McGuire, has raised interesting points about the nature of individualized religion, and I look forward to seeing what’s discussed by the other articles. This topic is especially interesting to me because it seems rather related to the case study I read, Sacred Stories, Spiritual Tribes, and I look forward to seeing how the rest of the articles connect.