{"id":55,"date":"2025-04-01T13:36:53","date_gmt":"2025-04-01T17:36:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/abroad\/?page_id=55"},"modified":"2025-07-23T11:40:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T15:40:11","slug":"religion-spirituality-creed","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/abroad\/planning-resources\/being-u-abroad\/religion-spirituality-creed\/","title":{"rendered":"Religion, Spirituality &#038; Creed"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Regardless of your own religious or spiritual beliefs, you may be exposed to different beliefs during your time abroad. Remember that you will be expected to follow the local laws and cultural norms of your host country.<\/p>\n<p>In some countries, laws, customs, dress, and diet may reflect the values of the dominant religion. If your religious or spiritual community is important to you, you may want to seek out this community while abroad. Depending on where you study abroad, you may be able to connect with your religious community while abroad.\u00a0Doing research before you arrive in your host country can help you gain a better understanding of the people and culture, while giving you a sense of what to expect during your time abroad as it relates to your own religious practice and spirituality.<\/p>\n<p>One place to start may be asking our <a href=\"\/abroad\/about\/our-team\/student-ambassadors\/\">Study Abroad Ambassadors<\/a> about their experiences abroad. You may also find it useful to read <a href=\"https:\/\/pluralism.org\/\">Harvard\u2019s Pluralism Report<\/a>, an introduction to the world\u2019s religious traditions through the lens of America.<\/p>\n<p>The following reflection questions may be helpful to consider:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What is the dominant religion in my host country? Will I be a part of the religious majority or minority?<\/li>\n<li>How might my religious practice or identity be affected if I study in a country where the dominant religion is not my own?<\/li>\n<li>Do any parts of my identity conflict with my host country\u2019s religious values or attitudes?<\/li>\n<li>Are there any laws regarding religion? Is there a separation between religion and the government?<\/li>\n<li>How tolerant is the culture in my host country of other religions, atheists, and agnostics?<\/li>\n<li>Is it safe for me to wear religious symbols or clothing?<\/li>\n<li>If I have religious dietary restrictions, can they be accommodated in my host country and program housing? Who can I contact to discuss my specific religious requirements?<\/li>\n<li>If you will live in a homestay, are you open to living in a household with a different religious background than yours?<\/li>\n<li>Will I be able to find places of worship in my host country?<\/li>\n<li>Are there any religious holidays that will take place during my term away?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h3 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Dietary Restrictions &amp; Accommodations<\/h3><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\">\n<p>Just like with other accommodations, the earlier our staff knows about any dietary requests, the better. If you adhere to a specific diet\u2014such as a kosher, vegetarian, or vegan diet\u2014or require accommodations due to your religious beliefs or creed, please reach out to your Program Manager so they can provide resources and adjust things as needed. We will do our best to make the necessary accommodations for you.<\/p>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h3 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Places of Worship<\/h3><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/p>\n<p>While we provided a few resources below, we do not have an exhaustive list of places of worship for each country and religion. We encourage you to have a plan in place before arriving in your host city. Site staff can provide information and point you to other local resources in your host city. Your own place of worship may be able to provide suggestions, and there may even be services in English if you are not proficient in the local language.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h3 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Additional Resources<\/h3><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.islamicfinder.org\/prayer-times\/?\">Islamic Finder<\/a> \u2013 Guide to prayer times and mosques around the world<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org\/synagogues-of-the-world\">Jewish Virtual Library<\/a> \u2013 Locate synagogues around the world<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/masstimes.org\/\">Masstimes<\/a> \u2013 Locate a mass around the world<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.buddhanet.info\/wbd\/\">World Buddhist Directory<\/a> \u2013 Directory of Buddhist centers around the world<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/allhindutemples.com\/\">World Hindu Temple Directory<\/a> \u2013 Directory of Hindu temples around the world<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/chapel\/\">BU Marsh Chapel<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Regardless of your own religious or spiritual beliefs, you may be exposed to different beliefs during your time abroad. Remember that you will be expected to follow the local laws and cultural norms of your host country. In some countries, laws, customs, dress, and diet may reflect the values of the dominant religion. If your [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1301,"featured_media":0,"parent":47,"menu_order":4,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/55"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1301"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/55\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2602,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/55\/revisions\/2602"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/47"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/abroad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}