This past week we read chapter eight from McGuire for class, which discussed the topic of pluralism and secularism in our society, which led me to think of some topics we have been discussing in my other classes this semester. I am a religious studies major, and I enjoy getting a different look and learning about the different perspectives on religion in our society, and especially in America. In one of my classes, Women, Sex, and Society, we have been talking about where secular space starts and ends, and where this division lands for most people, specifically in the context of sexuality. Many are raised in a religious setting, and once they discover an LGBTQ+ identity, they start feeling like they need to keep their religion separate from that part of their sexuality/identity, especially if their religious tradition is more conservative. They don’t see a connection between their sexuality and spirituality, whether it be by society’s bounds, their tradition’s bounds, or ones they have created in their own head. It is difficult to imagine a space in which sexuality and spirituality can coincide, and this secular division extends to many other areas of life. We frequently don’t see where our religion can come into our lives, that it can be a part of our school, work, identity, and even our sexuality, and this is a way that we secularize our lives. It is fully possible to incorporate religion into all parts of our lives, and it doesn’t need to be totally separated and secularized.