Two days ago was the first time I ever set foot in a church.The precise date of my first edificial encounter with Christianity was Sep. 12, one day after the ninth anniversary of the Sep. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States of America. The precise location of the church in question, St. Peter's Church, was 22 Barclay St., just steps away from Ground Zero. The precise reason I hadn't visited a church until just the other day was a combination of simply never having the opportunity and having always been discouraged by my Orthodox Jewish day school teachers and family members who likened entering other religions' prayer establishments to idol worship.

But I wasn't the only Jew who broke from this custom last Sunday; in fact, many outwardly observant Jews scattered themselves proudly among the pews of St. Peter's Church, as did many Protestants, Catholics, Muslims and all kinds of other people of faith. All told, approximately 500 people joined together in a heartfelt commitment to religious freedom and a show of support for Park51, the proposed site for an Islamic cultural center in Lower Manhattan. The occasion was titled "Liberty Walk: An Interfaith Rally for Religious Freedom." After hearing seven remarkably different personalities fill seventy empowering minutes with ideas, innovation, excitement and genuine love for the interfaith movement and all of its participants, the 500-odd people in attendance assembled on the steps of the church and proceeded to walk alongside the site of Ground Zero, singing patriotic songs in unison along the way.

It's funny to go to a rally, to surround yourself with people who believe equally as passionately in the same thing you do. For those who like to maintain a levelheaded and evenhanded thought process, rallies don't really accomplish much. Lots of people in one place chanting, applauding, making noise-the experience revs up your passion but does little for your rational thought process. From my position in a pew in the back of the balcony, I was fully conscious of this; each time the spirited woman behind me shouted "Amen!" when particularly moved by a statement, I couldn't help but beam in agreement. The vibe was infectious.

But I kept my head. I was sitting in an interfaith utopia, encouraged by people like Executive Director of World Faith Frank Fredericks. "No, we won't change our principles," he declared. "Terrorism didn't work." Yes, sir, I responded mentally, in perfect tandem with the resounding "Amen" from the row behind me. But behind my smiling face and clapping hands I had to wonder: What else? What's next? What am I really doing here?

Park51 has become a tremendous issue in this country. Tremendously overblown, if you ask me-whether a religious group can pray anywhere should not even be a question in the United States of America. The debate is senseless. But it doesn't matter, really, because the issue is not about this particular cultural space, and it's certainly not about whether there's a prayer room inside. It stretches a bit farther than that.

And that's where we come into the picture. We students here in Waltham, 200 miles from New York City, have perhaps the most important role to play in this controversy, which stems from neither the building or from the religion it aims to serve. This is a controversy that exists purely because of a stereotype, perpetuated by baseless hatred and irrational fear. It exists because there is a lack of knowledge; the many refuse to engage with a group of Americans deemed the enemy by the few.

But 200 miles from this mess, we have the unique opportunity to give this matter a human face. Take initiative and meet the Muslim students in your classes. And don't stop there-meet any student who has experienced something different from you. The university is a rare institution in that it can embrace diversity to the fullest extent. It's time to get uncomfortable. Learn the things you don't want to know. Challenge all stereotypes, assumptions and preconceived notions; question them, criticize them and tear them to shreds. We are sitting in a hotbed of ideas. And we do not have to wait for the worst to formulate them, express them and make a difference.

It's not easy to have the hard conversations. I personally did not take my first footsteps into a church with a clear conscience. But I beat out my hesitations. I joined the voices singing the "Star-Spangled Banner" just feet away from the site of the most terrifying historical event in my memory. Maybe the atmosphere of the rally was pervading my rational thoughts; I didn't care. I felt progress, and I made a commitment to bring progress back to Waltham, human face attached.