Personal Narrative: Human Creation Vs. Evolution

The theory of evolution, as set forth by Charles Darwin in 1859, stated that all plant and animal life evolved over long periods of time from simple to more complicated forms through mutation and adaptation. He also taught that only the fittest of each species would survive. He further postulated that the first living cell evolved in a "warm warm little pond" and that it took billions of years for the present diversity of living things to evolve. At the time, it was thought that the few "missing links" in the fossil record would be soon filled.(Darwin, 1927 ). Today, however, there is today a considerable body of scientific evidence that refutes this entire theory.

I went to Catholic school because my great-grandmother influenced my mother to do so, arguing that the values that I would learn there would not compare to anything else. As a single mother, she took as many advices as possible on how to raise me, especially coming from the most important person for her. However, my mother has never considered herself a devout catholic, or religious person whatsoever, and although she enrolled me in Catholic school she tried to give me as much religious freedom as possible so that I could find my own spirituality when the right time merited it. I was raised with a hybrid of religious and liberal values, and while I consider to have a strong pillar of moral values based on what I learned in Catholic school,

I volunteered at Chiefland Elementary School, under Ms. Sidorenko’s supervision. After doing my twenty hours of volunteering at Chiefland Elementary School, I have gained new knowledge on how religion works in schools. If you grew up in a small town area like I did, you would know that religion around here is not a touchy subject with many people. Many faculty administrators who work in the school system happen to be Baptists or Christians. Therefore, people are able to throw in religious assessments here and there without getting into too much trouble. In this case, at this school, everyone goes to the same church or partners with each other’s churches. Before I go on, let me just say, even though I am a Christian, I think that religion shouldn’t be a topic talked during school hours. My reasoning for this is because children are there to get an education and to learn about the world around them. Teachers barely have enough time to teach the concepts that are mandatory, if we add religion it will just offend students and teachers won’t be able to get their job done. Now that society is changing and is starting to accept individuals more, I have noticed this school is having a hard time accepting that.

A majority of my friends are Christians. We come from families that have been raised in church and portray the typical “American family”. As A&M Consolidated High School is a public school, there are various religions that are represented among students. This was made evident one day as our lunchroom discussion following World History class began a debate about whose religious beliefs were right. My first instinct was to lash out and begin justifying my Christian beliefs full force

One of the most positive things about being an American is the ability to interact in “the melting pot” of various cultures all around. While most of us obviously identify with our own specific culture, the variety within our society is extremely diverse, allowing intercultural communication and presents a learning experience for those who are able to communicate and with one another. When observing and interacting with cultures other than my own, I am able to identify some similarities, as well as the differences from their culture to mine. Throughout this semester we have learned so many things about different cultures and worldviews, I have begun to learn a lot more about myself and my personal religious views. I have never followed a religious practice on my own choice, but it is encouraging to see how it positively impacts others in my life.

Although Canada is a multiculturalist nation practicing secularism, there are still struggles on religious diversity in schools. Consequently, segregation of students’ base on their religious beliefs precedes typecasting, thus a division in social groups happens. Students when singled out from their peers can have an adverse effect on their self-esteem, more importantly, when they have difficulties adapting in a new and diverse school community. More likely when teachers ask students to say some insights or overview about their religion, some students may cringe from getting too much attention, hence making them feel uncomfortable. For that reason, handling issues of diversity with sensitivity can make students feel safe and prone to learn

The pressures of keeping up grades, fitting in, and making sure you have the latest and greatest iPhone, start getting heavy after time. Difference of religion, if you are or aren’t religious, can add more weight on one’s shoulders, eventually breaking them. Think back to the Columbine shooting. Two teenagers killed 13 people just because they publicized the fact that they were Christians (#1 P6), then continued to injure 30 others before taking their own lives. Those kids broke 18 gun laws going into that school. More laws wouldn’t have made a

One memory that this reading brought up to me was when I was in undergrad and I was raped by someone whom I believed to be my friend. Before this incident happened I wouldn't have called myself very religious, but I trusted God and the word of God. I was very involved with church and attended very regularly. After the incident happened I no longer trusted in God. I knew he was still watching over me, but I felt betrayed and I felt that he wasn't there for me when I needed him the most. With this I struggled for a long time with trying to get over the incident and trying to just get through school. I knew there was help, but I had fallen in such a deep hole there was nothing anyone could do. I found myself not worthy of things, I drank more and more each day, and I just felt like I hit rock bottom. One day my mother thought that I should attend church service on a Sunday so I did. I went to church and talked with church family. I was scared that I was going to be judged over what I had become. It was amazing I had struggled so much that after talking to my church family and allowing God back in I saw that God was the only way. Once I had opened my eyes and heart and let the word of God and God back into my life it was a major turn around for my life.

I grew up as a Catholic in Vietnam. I have never been in an environment truly united with faith outside of church. As I went to school, we Catholic students were surrounded and outnumbered by other religions or non-believers or agnostics. Though we usually receive an understanding and tolerating stance, some still find it a “cool” and funny act to tease or make fun of one’s religion and beliefs. At sixteen I traveled to America hoping I’ll get a better education. Here, I was introduced to a whole new environment: most of the people were Christians. The opportunity not only boosted my confidence but also enriched my knowledge and understanding in Christian belief. For the first time, it felt like “home” (I found no better way to express this

Just recently in my ninth grade biology class, we discuss the topic of evolution. Evolution is a highly debatable topic where some people believe in the evolution theory or a Divine Creator. My biology teacher asked “ Raise your hand if you believe in a Divine Creator.”. I grew up in a Christian church with mostly Christian friends and parents. Therefore, I raised my hand and so did my friends.

As an American citizen with almost unlimited freedom of religion in this country, I have taken full advantage of this freedom that has been graciously given to me for free just for being born in the land of the free and the home of the brave. As a young child until the end of my junior high school education I attended a Christian school, and throughout the span of my high school career I attended a Lutheran school. Both of these schools had an impact on my religiously, and as the person I have developed into today. Although there were similarities between each of the schools I attended, there were also clear differences between them. Like schools, religions also have differences between them, such as the god or spiritual presence which

First, as a Christian, I must acknowledge that I understand the privileges associated with Christianity, such as school schedules aligning with Christian holidays and the ability to wear a cross necklace without ridicule or stares (Schlosser, 2013). Although I am a member of the dominant group for religion, I understand the feeling of oppression by the non-Protestant Christians, because I am a member of the subordinate groups in relation to my race and gender. Thus, as I reflect on religious oppression, I desire to ensure my classroom is welcoming to all religious groups and want my students to feel “whole and healthy” (Nasir & Al-Amin,

Entering my freshman year of high school, I was armed for combat. The whole summer I had been glued to my new Twitter account, reading up on the news and becoming "worldly." Raised in a Catholic household and school, I know biblical history better than my own family tree. All of my friends and teachers were Catholic, and the most sacrilegious book I had ever read was Harry Potter. Online, everyone portrayed the Catholic Church as brutal bigots. I knew I didn't want to be portrayed as a close-minded, and in addition to my strong desire to give my life a tangible purpose, I took action. My voice would shake and my eyes remained glued to the teacher to avoid looking at other students because I knew their stares would be full of shock. In order to combat the new reactions, I researched my arguments extensively.

From birth my parents raised me to be of Christian faith. I have never believed in anything else, nor did I ever question the existence of the Almighty God. But when faith would surface as a subject in school, I would be pummeled with questions about why I had followed such a contradictory religion. Although I found defending my faith, at that time, to be complicated, it was not the most significant challenge; instead, it was my freshman year in high school. The year of 2013 seemed to be an entirely new era, people were just beginning to find themselves and explore new endeavors, and hat year I explored Chinese class. It was few in numbers, just about eleven students, and as one could imagine, we became genuinely close as classmates. Early

Since my junior year of high school, I realized that religious beliefs, values and morals my parents taught to me since I was able to process and understand what exactly was being said to me, were not the same beliefs that I had as an individual.