Throughout the majority of my life, I haven’t had the opportunity to be exposed to a lot of different religions. However, there was one religion that I was very familiar with. I grew up in a Christian household, I went to a Catholic school for a couple of years in elementary school, and a good majority of my friends were Christian as well. Even though the United States doesn’t have an official religion, the majority of the population falls under the umbrella of Christianity. Therefore, you will easily find churches and cathedrals. However, in the United States there is not a lot of opportunity to learn and explore other major religions. It is relatively difficult to find temples, mosques, or other places of worship, unless you go out of your way. As well, education teaches a lot about Christian history, and rarely, if ever, delves into the history and culture of other religions.

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My study abroad changed many things for me, but one of the things that I truly learned was how religion was carried out in different countries. The first time I stepped into a Buddhist temple, it was at the Ten Thousand Buddha Monastery on the outskirts of Shatin in Hong Kong. The Ten Thousand Buddha Monastery was located on top of a hill with hundreds of reincarnations of Buddha, all painted in gold and arranged in different positions staring down at you as you climbed. I took pictures along the way, but observed the rules of the temple not to document the inside. This temple was one of the most beautiful places I have come to witness. Since then, I have visited many Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, Islamic, and Judaist places of worship. In Taiwan, I visited temples that had a mix of influences from both Buddhism and Taoism. In Malaysia, I visited the outside of many mosques, since Islam is the official religion of that country (I never went inside because I never wore the appropriate headwear). Along the way, I have learned about different ways of prayer, religious traditions, and have observed these practices in person.

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When I visited my first couple of Buddhist temples, I felt very out of place. I had no clue as to what the religious traditions of other major religions were, or why people practiced certain behaviors I would come to observe. It made me think, this ignorance and feeling of not belonging might be the reason why more people don’t go out into the world to learn about the way other people live. However, this alienation, although intimidating beyond belief, was eye-opening and educational. This must be what people feel like when they enter a Catholic church not being Christian and having no idea what Christianity entails. Below you can find pictures of my journey of learning about different religions and documentation of different religious places of worship across China, Japan, and Southeast Asia.

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One might ask themselves, why is religion important? And why should I learn about it? Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism are the world’s major religions. Through these religions, different people structure their lifestyles, from the way they dress, to what they eat, to the people they marry. Learning about different religions is one major ways of gaining insight to how people all around the world lead their lives. If you are only familiar with Christianity, and do not educate yourself on the other major religions, you miss out on learning about the majority of the population on Earth.

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One class I took in Hong Kong was IBUS 402, Global Marketing Management. One of the lessons in IBUS 402 was about social institutions and how they impact and define demographics. These institutions function to reinforce cultural norms, which includes religion. You can find the lecture PowerPoint on this lesson attached below. These social institutions integrate visuals and styles that reinforce certain motifs or ideals that the culture embrace. Visuals are embodied in the color or shape of a product, label, or package. Styles are various degrees of complexity and are perceived differently around the world. These both combine to create a sense of what is beautiful and what is not beautiful or what represents good taste as opposed to tastelessness, and these tastes vary across different cultures. Some of these visuals and styles are represented in different colors that cultures use as symbols. For instance, red is associated with blood, wine-making, activity, heat, and vibrancy in many countries but is poorly received in some African countries. Red also signifies good luck and celebration in China. You will find red on the outside and inside of many temples. Also, white is identified with purity and cleanliness in the West, and is associated with death in parts of Asia. Which is why you will find no white temples in Asia, compared to the many white catholic cathedrals and churches in the West. As I have come to experience them, different temples from different religions have very distinct visuals and styles that makes them stand out from one another. Certain temples will be made out of wood or other natural materials that make them look distinct, and these visuals and styles help people identify what religion that establishment belongs to.

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Now, how does global marketing relate to religion? How do they connect? What do companies do to attract people who practice certain religions? Religious tenets, practices, holidays, and history impact global marketing activities in many ways. While the West may have a decline in people who practice religion, in Asia, religion is very much still integrated into the everyday lives of citizens. Companies have to learn and respect the ways of how religion is carried out throughout the world. This way they can adapt visuals and styles of advertisements, and change business practices and marketing campaigns overall to the local culture so that people are more willing to buy into what the company is trying to sell. This is because people like what is familiar to them, and since religion is such a big player in how people live their lives, it would be beneficial for companies to adhere to those norms. This insight is important because I will be entering the business world with experience within and beyond the classroom to help make those connections for any business that I work for.

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I have learned, through my class and through my experience with learning about other religions, that one has to become comfortable with discomfort if they want to grow as a person and evolve as a world leader. I will take this lesson to go out of my way to educate myself more about others across the world to become a better leader and a better businesswoman.