This week, we saw a presentation by Professor Spickard about Skidrow and the Los Angeles Catholic Workers. This presentation really opened my eyes to what religion can do in society. Too often, I see religious people not practicing what they preach. A lot of people pick and choose what they want to believe out of this holy scriptures and some use it as ammunition to oppress groups of people. The Los Angeles Catholic Workers do the opposite, they help those who can’t help themselves. They do it in the name of God, but they also feel that God acts through humans. To see some of the amazing work that they have done to change the lives of thousands of people that the rest of society just seems to forget about. I call this active religion, it’s not just going to church and trying to create a personal relationship to God. They create solutions to real world problems and actually make an impact on these people. No one is giving them award for doing these deeds, they just feel the pull to help. I personally don’t think that enough people go out of their way to help other people. One of the only quotes I know from the Bible is “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” and this is a concept more people need to internalize to make the world better for everyone, not just for one individual. The Los Angeles Catholic Workers embody what I believe active religion could create in the world, a more loving and caring place for everyone.