Personal Narrative: The Cult Of Religion

The results from my summary reveal that my number one personal value is religious. I was not surprised by the outcome at all because I am very much into my religion. I love to have my own time when I can sit back and read my bible in peace and reflect back over what I just read. Leaning on the Bible gives me a sense of peace, and it reassures me that I can face and overcome any obstacles.

I grew up in a home where religion was deep rooted and where it is the basis for everything you do. For instance, my mother has strong religious belief which means that we were in church 5 days a week. I grew up in this culture, and I began to take on the traits, practices and beliefs associated with it. I heard my mother thank god and pray every night for the good thing that happens in our life. When you are fully engrossed in your belief it becomes second nature to you. We were taught that if you pray and belief in God, he would help you when you are in need and God will protect and look out for all those who believe and worship him. As you get older and keeping your faith, you find yourself believe more and more that your belief is what

Throughout my life growing up, all of my decisions in regards to faith were not necessarily of my own. My religious practices were done not because I wanted to, but because I had to. Having to attend classes on Saturdays and being placed in a private school, I was taught multiple prayers and traditions that I had to follow. I felt as though I were forced to practice these prayers and traditions due to the fact that I was being graded to practice them; I wanted to do them simply to get a good grade. I was also encouraged to become an altar server during my school’s daily mass and in return I would gain extra credit, so I did so. When following traditions that my family practiced, I only committed to them because I would be disciplined

In addition, around that time, technology was advancing and I was introduced to a whole new world within the internet. The world around me was changing, and it was changing fast. As middle school progressed, I began learning about a variety of different subjects. I was informed about the existence of other religions, beliefs, and morals. Everything was new to me. Soon my perspective towards the world began to shift, and I began to view the world around me in a new, more comfortable way. After having followed my parent’s will for all those years, the option to go against their beliefs had finally become a possibility for me. It felt liberating, for I was on my way to shaping my own individual personality along with new beliefs. Due to being a teenager, my rebellious stage took over. Being exposed to so much information in such a small amount of time left me stranded in the middle of confusion. My parents would tell me one thing, but my mind refused to believe anything or anyone anymore. What was I supposed to do? Who should I listen to? Did my parents purposely refuse to provide this information in fear of me forming my own individuality? I was young, immature and didn’t know what was going on around me. The moment I stated my mind and proposed the possibility of God not being real, my parent’s facial expression filled up with rage as a thermometer

Growing up I was always told religion was false and that I was above my friends who were Christians because I believed in science. My mom was raised by Catholics, but when she graduated High School, she vowed to never be religious again. My father enjoyed feeling more elite over the “religious plebeians” that worked for him. I remember having an argument with Victoria Henderson in 3rd grade because I believed in The Big Bang and she was a creationist. Everyone took Victoria’s side, and I learned it was better to just not talk about religion. In high school, I began reaching out of my comfort zone, and also questioning what my parents had ingrained on me as a person. My first religious experience was dating a boy named Luis who was Catholic, as my mother was raised. He was only allowed to date Catholic girls, so I

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.

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.

I think I always knew that my beliefs were not actually my beliefs, but I always told myself otherwise. I didn’t want to be the lone person in the family who didn’t believe in God. I was afraid of being looked down upon, since everyone I knew followed these stories and loved to do so.

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.

My belief in god has no firm beginning. It was just something I accepted like two plus two equals four or that chocolate ice cream tastes really good. I never really knew that you did not have to believe in god as everybody I knew for most of my life did. That was until I encountered, my cousin, Ryan’s beliefs or lack thereof. He thought

Writing this Professional Project required some deep soul searching while deepening my spirituality to train the veterans of Tabernacle African Methodist Episcopal Church to become Disciples of Christ. Completing the nine training sessions will be beneficial for the congregation. A selection of a Steering Committee from the various boards within the church will assist me with the effectiveness of the Professional Project. Teaching the veterans about The Fruit of the Spirit will strengthen my spiritual walk with Christ as well. Each branch of the military has military core values and a comparison will be made with each Fruit of the Spirit during the training process. Presentations and workshops on The Fruit of the Spirit will undergird

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.

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.

Pastor Ed, it was so wonderful to meet you and your team. I was sitting down today to write a thank you note to the Connect Team for your wonderful hospitality and love. I have been telling everyone about the amazing ministry that Gateway has that ministers to the Body of Christ and Churches. We are now discussing ways to implement some of the things that we heard. I spoke with Pastor Aeneas about some the things we can implement quickly, like weekly meeting with key leaders, establishing a pray team for him and his family, and rotating volunteers so that they can get a break. We have a lot to accomplish, and as you know it is sometimes a challenge for The Spirit Church.

I feel everyone has the right to believe what they want and I try to respect others and their differences. I wouldn't have an issue with being friends with a religious person unless that person tried to bombard me with their opinions or tried to convert me. I am a proud atheist with a lot of personal issues regarding religion or more specifically radical religious people. I remember when I was in 5th grade when I first came out about having doubts in my Christian roots I was ridiculed by almost every person in the small town I was living in, there was even an incident of a bible being thrown at me because I confessed I had a crush on a girl. Obviously, I have a lot of anger toward the children and adults who bullied me for doubting their religion, but I do try to be accepting because I now know not all religious people act in that way.