Personal Narrative: Christianity

I became a Christian in 1982 while in high school. I had never attended church prior to Easter 1982. I found something interesting in the whole of the service and decided to read a Bible. The Bible made some sense to me. I had a few questions about some of the stuff that had happened and was given Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell. Well that answered most of my questions. I was also given Mere Christianity which answered more questions. I felt convicted by the Holy Spirit and asked G-d to come into my life and forgive me of my sins.

To begin, this is my worldview and how I view the world. I do not believe in labels because it hinders a person from their full capability. I do believe in the understanding a person not just by their appearance but by who they are personally and behavior. Anyone can appear appealing and charismatic, but only a true follower of Christ has like a special glow about them, which is rare in my world. I have learned that it does not matter what denomination, ethnicity or upbringing a person comes from as long as they know The Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus has done miraculous things in the past and in the present. Since I am on this Earth until I either die an earthly death or Jesus comes back, I try to live my life to the fullest.

When it comes to my worldview, I feel pretty confident in what I know and what I stand for. I grew up in a Christian home, therefore I have been pretty consistent on what I believe in for my whole life. Some of the preceding questions really made me think though about what I really believe and how I am actually living. Although I know what my worldview is, it is not always easy to make sure that I am fully living it out.

Walking through the forest, a lone owl hoots at my presence. There are thousands of creatures accompanying me in this dense wood, yet my eyes catch only this owl. The leaves crunch under my feet; the predators and the prey of the forest watch in curiosity as this strange intruder stamps across their land. I know they’re there, somewhere, yet they stay shrouded in their leafy homes. It was in that moment that I found what fascinates me the most: why am I here among these creatures? It wasn’t a feeling of alienation, rather, a lack of understanding for the purpose of our existence.

I am an atheist, but it wasn't always that way. My entire life there was a constant pressure on me to accept that there was a supreme being that created all. Even at a young age I couldn’t bring myself to fully believe this. I continued grasping for straws because, just like every other religious person, I was scared of the “consequences” that would come with not believing. My Non-Denominational Christian Church promoted telling this to everyone, even children.

NYPD Standard Operational Procedure when anyone is transferred: The next day they must report in civilian attire to Health Services Division to take a Drug Screening Test. I was fuming about this involuntary transfer to Internal Affairs in the elevator when it reached the eight floor. Not familiar with Health Services Division, preoccupied by still really being pissed off, I followed a small group into a meeting room with about twenty seats. As I sat down I suddenly noticed these guys didn’t really look like cops. When one of these weird individuals said to me “I ain’t crazy, no matter what they say, I wanna be a cop and I wanna a gun.” I was momentarily confused.

“The other important skill is empowering people by way of letting the biblical narratives ask their own questions of our social context…the discussion was wonderful, and people started to get this idea of dwelling in scripture before plunging into a meeting, in order to hear God.”. (A. Roxburgh/F. Romanuk,176)

After writing the personal awareness paper I learned about who I actually am. I also learned more about Gods purpose for me and the path in which is in front of me.

When it comes to my religious beliefs, I am Catholic and after taking this class Religious Imagination class with Professor Martin. I can say that I have gained new insight to the different religions that we have learned throughout the course of the class. This class really opened and broadened my perspective on different religions because never experience or even learned about these different religions before taking this class. The specific religions that I have gained insight on were Hinduism, Buddhism and Primal religion. Before taking this class I heard of these religions but I did not actually know what they were. Each Religion that we learned helped me is the amazing ways people believe in God. I found the Primal religion extremely interesting

Growing up as a teenage girl in the world with the state it's in, it's often hard to not want to please everyone. That's something I struggle with, especially as a Christian. I want everyone to like me. I feel a pressure to please everyone, show my love for Christ, and a burden to never slip up..always be perfect. Once entering high school, the need for everyone to want to be my friend and like me grew. I would do anything to please these "friends." Often more times than not, these things that pleased them ceased to please God. Looking at those people I had in my life, I got to thinking what were they doing for me. Yes- that may sound like a selfish question, but really what were these people I was trying so hard to please doing for me? The answer was

Ever since I was a young girl, I fell as a victim to cyberbullying and hate. It got to the point where someone made a Facebook page labeled as “I hate Sammi Zhao!!!”, which a majority of my friends and fellow peers marked as “Like”. This occurrence, let down and backstabbing of my friends, led me to suicidal thoughts and depression. I was accustomed to the mindset that every person I met would end up leaving me as time passed by. However, I was fortunate enough to find hope in Christianity, the religion that greatly benefited my journey of overcoming my struggle.

One day back in the ‘80s. I’m at my desk working, and a little girl comes and climbs in my lap. Sweet, curious little girl. She’d asked a million questions about the phone I was answering, then looked at my pictures on my desk. I had pictures of my family in a frame, and in that frame I had a picture of Jesus. She pointed to those pictures, and asked who is that? I said, that’s my family. She said no, who is that man? I pointed to the picture of Jesus, and asked her are you talking about him? She said, “Yes”. I said that’s Jesus. Do you not know who he is, I asked? She answered, “No”. She asked if she could hold the picture. As she held it, she said “he looks like a nice man”.

When I began my Christian Service Project at my local senior center, I initially did not entirely look forward towards the experience. Run by Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens, the Catherine Sheridan Senior Center provides various daily activities (Wii bowling, Age-tastic!, tai chi, etc.), daily breakfast (toast, bagels, spreads, coffee, etc.) and lunch (fish, chicken, potatoes, sweet potatoes, assorted vegetables, etc.), and transportation for seniors via paratransit vans. Since February, I have mostly been helping out at lunchtime, running Age-tastic! (a health and wellness educational game provided by the New York City Department for the Aging) in the afternoon, and participating in sing-alongs with the seniors. Otherwise, I spend my time conversing with the seniors, enjoying laughs and listening to discussions as they make the most of lethargic Monday mornings. Over time, my doubtful

Just the other night I was having a conversation with a close friend. As always after the 20 minute catch up chat, about what we are currently into and doing. We dive into a talk about school and then faith and as a clock is guaranteed to change time our conversation shifts into a long discussion about our childhoods. We exchange story after story, laughing, regretting, asking “what if”, and “what would you do”. No matter how long we laugh or ask questions, we always come to the finalized conclusion that our childhoods were crystallized in what has been termed the “christian bubble”. Now for those who are not familiar with the “christian bubble”, it is a commonly practiced form of parenting within Christian homes. Like packing a suitcase for

Humans from my own point of view are God's creation, because the bible makes me understand that humans were created in God's image, and during the creation of man, God blew the breath of life into man to make him come alive. I assume the reason humans are so unique is that they were created like God. The reason why humans are the best of all creation is that they can think, invent new things, and have dominion of all other creatures on earth. Humans are the only living creation that is conscious of their own existence, because they have advanced knowledge and skills to do things, for example, humans can clothe themselves, cook their foods, and even invent numerous technologies. Humans have a well-regulated sense that is able to