Answering these questions enables you to relate material from the text to your own personal experiences.
Do you wear (or have you ever worn) religious symbols as personal adornment? Why so? What do these symbols signify to you? To others?
Speculate: What advantages did the early monastics seek in withdrawing from the secular world? Might the same advantages prevail today? Why or why not?
If you practice a faith, list and discuss those symbols (liturgical or theological) that have special meaning for you. Are these symbols unique to this particular faith? If so, how so?
