Seeking Spirituality: RSO meets weekly for alternative religion discussions
Those involved with the Open Grove Society believe college is a place where people grow in thought and are open to new ideas.
The registered student organization meets once a week to talk about different types of alternative religions.
“We get the stereotype that we are a group a pagans, but that is not true,” said Muskegon senior Randi Whipple.
Some members find the Open Grove Society is a group that accepts them when it seems no one else will.
“It’s a place where I can fit in,” said Elliot Schott, a Clinton Township senior and Open Grove Society vice president.
Schott said he was very pleased with the Open Grove Society when he first joined.
Because Schott is agnostic, going to the meetings and hearing what people have to say about spirituality makes him very open to different ways of thinking.
“I am agnostic, but my parents are Native American spiritualists, so I am more on the spiritual side,” Schott said. “I’m open to belief in the supernatural and I like to hear other’s ideas.”
Whipple said the Open Grove Society began about 10 years ago and was originally a group for people of pagan beliefs called The Pagan Wheel.
“It is hard to define paganism,” Goss said. “Each person thinks it means something different.”
Over time, the Pagan Wheel grew into the Open Grove Society and began to include all different kinds of religions, mainly alternative religions. However, there are also Christians, Jews and other people who follow major religions in the organization.
For more information on the Open Grove Society, California graduate student and RSO President Elizabeth Goss said to visit www.opengrovesociety.org.
“We meet once a week, and we would love for anyone to join us,” Whipple said. “Next week we will be talking about freedom in religion.”
Goss said they have themes at each of their meetings that the group votes on. There, they talk about all different types of religious issues.
“We tend to talk about things that different religions share or that show up in lots of different religions,” Goss said.
Although one would think having people of so many religious backgrounds in one room could be a recipe for trouble, the Open Grove Society has yet to run into any issues of that sort.
“People share their ideas and although there are conflicting beliefs everyone is very respectful,” Goss said.
Whipple said when religious beliefs conflict, people in the group tend to agree to disagree.
Schott encourages anyone who is interested in religion or learning more about spirituality to join the Open Grove Society.
“We are very open and very welcoming to anyone,” Schott said.
