Reflection About Religion

Many freshmen experience different changes in their life once they get to college. These changes vary from a student's study habits, social life, attitude, and faith. In today’s world, where technology is relied on for almost everything, many incoming freshmen rely on popular culture for a glimpse of what college is about. In my anticipation for college, I turned to movies and books in order to have an idea of what college life would be for me, especially what my faith would look like in college. These films, God’s Not Dead, A Matter of Faith, and The Genesis Code, illustrate the challenges that many Christian students face in college. In the movie A Matter of Faith, a Christian freshman starts to doubt her beliefs when she starts learning about evolution from her biology professor. Most of the elements portrayed in this movie are both accurate and inaccurate, and I base that on my own experience as a biology major and a Christian. In the movie God’s Not Dead, a freshman has to defend his faith in front of his class and an atheist professor who tells his students that God does not exist. Some of the content in this movie may be exaggerated, for instance, the professor informing his students that they would need “to disavow in

Religion is a subject that is viewed differently by everyone. No matter what religious background you come from your views about religion will be based on your own personal experience. Religion plays a major part on how we live our lives and its how we will use it to raise our kids. Davis, Hook, McAnnally-Linz, and Placeres writes “Furthermore, given that many individuals view religion as a core aspect of their identity, religion may be an important cultural avenue for promoting virtue” (Davis, Hook, McAnnally-Linz, and Placeres 242). Religion has always impacting our lives in so many ways. This can be based on how we treat people, how we see people or even how we interact with people on a daily basis. Getting to know someone and how they were raised is the first step in understanding their religious beliefs and experiences.

I researched about 1 and 2 Timothy. The theme of Timothy is about God, lifestyle and money, and Paul tells us a lot of these three topics. Paul reminds us that we should pray about the things we are worrying about. We need to share good things with others, don’t be selfish. God wants us to give to those in need through fundraisers, charities, donations. 1 Timothy states that we should take hold of eternal life and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Money can’t get us far in life. We won’t be successful if we focus on money since our treasures are in heaven not here. Paul reminds us to be thankful for what we have because we are considered privileged. The love of money leads to evil desires and temptations. You will become lost in faith if you only focus on money. Money is not reliable; it isn’t stable. Instead we should rely on God who provides us with everything we need. Love is an important factor to remain united. We were all saved from our sins, but God wants us to come to a knowledge of the truth. We have to refrain falling into Satan’s trap; temptation. There’s hope to turn away from Satan, but you need to remain faithful in God and trust in Him. In 2 Timothy, Paul tells us that God doesn’t want us to be shy, because God gave us power, self-discipline and love. We shouldn’t be ashamed or scared to preach the gospel, for we should not only preach the gospel but to also suffer for God. Paul reassures us by saying that the Holy Spirit

For a good part of my life I have seen religion as a duty which must be accomplished with dedication if not enjoyment. Since all people are sinners and sinners must seek salvation it did not occur to me that some people might not see the point in all this religion business. “Oh, I’m not religious,” some friends would say to me, as if it were genetically transmitted or perhaps an acquired taste. They would blithely go about their lives, unencumbered by guilt, enjoying their sins, and occasionally pausing to shake their heads at my dutifulness. “Why do you bother?” they would ask curiously.

First off, even though we have not been in class for very long, I already feel as though my perspective on religion has changed tremendously and I am curious to see what my beliefs will be like at the end of the semester. Although I do believe in Christianity and in God and that he contributed into the creation of the world, I question what I would believe if I was taught differently growing up.

When we think of religion, we think of a higher being watching us from a holy place, ensuring that we are behaving accordingly. Growing up, my family never practiced any religion. I remember, when I was a child, I would go out every Sunday to play with my friends, but none of them would be available because they would be attending church. When I was younger, I remember attending a service once because all of my friends and their families were attending and I wanted to go with them. At the service, I was not truly paying attention to what the pastor was speaking, I was just trying to play with my friends. I vividly remember the look one of my friend’s mother gave me after I joked with my friend about how boring the service was. I, at the age of 8, remember being so bored, that I left the church while the pastor was still speaking.

Education, Gender and familial values are all ideals that have developed who I have become as a person. Growing up in a Dominican household, I was raised in a setting that shaped who I am today. I was taught that education and family are the most important things in life. But I learned on my own that gender, that being born as a boy instead of a girl, also determined how a majority of life would differ from my female family members. My grandmother Luz Wilson, who was born in the Dominican Republic, lead a tough and exhausting life in order to become the grandmother of such a big family. However, her experiences and hardships, that add to her wisdom, guide us to becoming strong and resilient human beings. My older cousin Krystal Wilson, who was born here in the United States, is more of a sister to me and someone who I admire because of her transition to being the self-reliant woman that she is. Our experiences growing up, in comparison to our grandmother, are much different based on education and our environments. However, I also found many similarities in their lives, as well as mine. Based on an analysis of the interviews done on my grandmother, cousin and myself, this paper will demonstrate how each of us value religion as a connection to God, family as a unifying value, and as gender as a determining factor of life.

This composition will give you information on why I chose the topic Christianity. What is compelling about this issue and why is it important in the study of religion? This assignment and the content within it will explain the significance of Christianity across all religions studied. The information in this composition will show in what ways Christianity is significant for religious beliefs. I will give you, the reader an example of how this religion, have a profound effect on my life, and the area I reside. What impact does Christianity have on the everyday lives of people who practice Christianity in my area?

Student Answer:           For me a religion consists of several different elements that are not universal to all religions found today. First, a religion is one that is shared and practiced by a group or ‘communal in nature’. Second, a religion has a unified set of beliefs that not only define the world and our place in it but also provides a set of ethical standards and guide to life. Third, I think a religion should invoke an emotional response from the believer through a supernatural connection with a higher being or God. Finally, I believe a religion should identify certain things that are sacred to the religion (Molloy, 2010).          Community or ‘communal in nature’: Having more than one person or a small group of people become followers of a religion is a testament to its validity in society. To me this is the most important aspect of defining religion. A true religion should be able to use its teachings and belief system to retain and cultivate new followers by connecting with them on a personal level.          Unified set of beliefs and code of ethics: What separates a religion from groups of people with an idea is the unified belief in something. Even if the exact details of those beliefs are not universal the overall beliefs are the same. An example would be all the different Protestant Churches, and the different sects of Islam and Buddhism. A religion’s beliefs should be (mostly) the same across the world. Also, there should be an ethical or moral code of

What is religion? Their has been many differrent interpretations on defining the word religion, but it’s extremely complicated to since their are so many human belief structures that vary. As being a Muslim I believe that being religious is to follow the Holy Book which is the Qu’ran and to follow the five pillars of Islam which are declaration of faith, prayer, charity tax, fasting and pilgrimage. Religion is what has been the most influential in my life and it has shaped me into what I am today.

Well my faith is indeed a faith – completely trusting in something, God. I direct my life towards what I have complete trust in. That faith is secured through choosing everyday to constantly put my trust in God. I personally believe that practicing the spiritual disciplines, like Bible readings, prayer, worship, fasting, etc., helps to further my faith and learn different aspects of God to further my love for him.

Religion is a very interesting topic which is the very reason that I decided to write about it. It is a theme that could be written about for days which makes it difficult to summarize into a short paper. To get a better understanding of what religion is, it is “a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs” (Religion). In other words it is a believing that there is higher power or giving your devotion to a higher cause like nature. There were so many great writers that shared their beliefs and views of a higher power like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Thomas Paine, and Henry David Thoreau. These three writers revolutionized beliefs and thoughts about being minorities.

In the last century, air travel has allowed people to visit new places, businesses to expand globally, and made the world a smaller place.  A unique experience, passengers are assigned seats in close quarters with strangers, and often find themselves in close communion with people they would not normally converse with.  Occasionally, we may find ourselves seated with someone who has a drastically different view of the world than we do, and as Christians, we should be prepared to engage in those opportunistic discussions whenever they present themselves.  What if a seatmate asked me about my faith, asked me to explain my biblical worldview?

God has taught me a lot through every single year here at ZCS. I have my ups and downs, but he’s always the one that follows through on his promise, to always be with us. Zeeland Christian has been a blessing and can’t wait for what’s ahead of me to come. I have made many connections through Christ through everything that I do at school. Through all my years at Zeeland Christian, I have been through many experiences that have grown me closer to God, spiritually, academically, and through relationships.

With what are we being filled with? We Christians today have heard this question time and time again. We say that God is what fills us; yet we are still left craving and wanting more. So if God is enough and we believe that to be true then are we really allowing God to be our ultimate source and spring of life if we are still left feeling empty?