Reflection About Religion

Religion is one of the most significant aspects in history and during our modern times, giving hope and forgiveness to citizens as they begin their spiritual journey but women’s voices are silenced and kept concealed. In this segment I will research and bring to light the women’s perspective through the hardships and experiences which they’ve encountered and focus on their lifestyle and personal values so we can understand better the role of women and faiths. .

Religion plays a huge role in today’s day and age. In fact, religion has been of huge importance since cavemen were, well, cavemen. Religion is the factor that keeps many people going in life but at the same time, the same reason our world has so many problems and has been torn apart. Through studying the main tenets in call, Judaism, Christianity and Islam were analyzed for weeks. Christianity and Islam take the cake for the two biggest religions in today’s population however, Judaism plays the smallest role. These three religions, although different, are easily able to be compared and contrasted because of all of the history and information we have attained towards these separate beliefs. I think it is crucial that these religions be studied by people all around the world so that we can be understanding towards other religions, not just our own. Through religious beliefs, things we can learn through teachings and comparing and contrasting we can learn more about Judaism, Islam and Christianity.

Judaism (Jewish), Christianity (Christians), and Islam (Muslims) are all world religions and each has a great deal to offer faithful followers, but each one merits serious attention, and full devotion. Religion and identity are highly stressed, and are never casual, indifferent, or meant to be spread out among contending convictions. Like Judaism and Islam, Christianity has beautiful rituals and festivals with unique music, and values and ideals worthy of a great religion.

When asked the question on my definition of religion, I decided to look at it in a way that goes beyond just my religion. Religion goes much deeper than being something that we just believe in, it is a relationship or a part of a person’s culture. My purpose of religion is something for me to try and understand what my goal in life is, as well as building a relationship with a higher being. Religion gives people that higher being that they can look to for guidance and comfort. I feel that you can also express your culture through religion as well as explain some of the reasons for some of the things that you have done in your life.

Introduction to Religious Quest has given me a more solid understanding on the history of religion. It also gave me a vivid explanation on how and why the world operates in a certain manner and how religion cannot be overlooked because it plays an important role in shaping the human life and character in relation to human experience. Initially, in the first few weeks of classes I had the idea that the class will mainly cover the moral characteristics and obligations in respect to religion placing more emphasis on Christianity given the nature of the Institution. But as time went by, other religion and their ideas were introduced. This made me realize that I have been biased about the term “Religion” in general. Because I come from a Christian background I never really considered how and what other religion and their ideas were like. The only idea that came to my mind was Christianity.

Religion is a hard concept to comprehend. In all honesty what is religion? Is it what we believe is true to our hearts or is it what we are taught to believe.See, I was raised in a Catholic household my parents believed in it strongly, in was in a sense it was their backbone. Both came from very rough as well as different background, the things that they had seen are ones that I can't even begin to imagine. Yet, no matter what you ask them they will tell you that the lord's voice is the one which told them to turn back and the lord's hands are what molded them into whom they were supposed to be.They told me so many stories growing up, some of which I wish I never had the chance of knowing but I know they did it so I could learn from their mistake as well as realize just how alive and real the lord is. When I grew up I was raised by two nineteen year olds, whose hearts blazed like the sun. No matter what they did my parents were filled with passion and the will to make nothing into something, they were my idols I just wanted to be like them meanwhile they just wanted me to be better than them. They showed me who God was and how every time I cried he would be the one to hear me. I remember whenever I was younger my parents had separated. I knew why they were separating but it seemed as they did their fire turned to embers. I questioned myself and I wondered why had God do this to me… to us. Eventually I stopped believing, I began to hate myself, I stopped loving my elf and I

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

Prior to this class, I viewed religion the way most Anglo-Americans do. From a young age, I was raised around Protestant Christian churches. My family went to church once a week on and off throughout my childhood. At church, I tried to focus for an hour on the sermons based around ancient stories that may or may not have happened. I usually forgot the story within a few hours of exiting the church doors. Like many Americans, this was religion to me. Something you more or less endured in order to say you were religious. This class gave me a totally different perspective on religion. For many Native American tribes, religion is not a separate portion of life. Many tribes have no word for religion. That is because there are religious aspects seen in just about everything they do. While there are cultural differences across various tribes, this idea holds fairly constant through most Native cultures. From the Navajo to the Hopi to the Pueblo and Plains tribes, there is a clear effort made by the Native people to treat everything around them with respect in order to maintain balance in the cosmos.

In modern day, religion is shown as a choice, and in some places in the world it is. Religion is something that you choose to follow. In comparison to the past, in which most times religion was a must, depending on where you lived you could be punished for not following the religion of the land you lived in. Because religion is seen as a choice today, some people are confused as to why people would confine themselves to an additional set of rules that would dictate the way they would live. In exploring this, science fiction books are made. Several books in the science fiction category that include religion often use their own, made up religion, to represent a religion that is practiced. By doing this they can either bring out the good side or the bad side of the religion, often it is the latter. In result of this, certain religions can be seen in a bad light once these books and ideas become mainstream.

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

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.

Throughout my life I have been lost and confused when it comes down to one aspect of life, religion. I felt out of place in scripture class freshman year because I knew close to nothing about Catholicism and about who God is. Up until my time at Brophy, I did not even really consider religion to be a part of my life. I rarely thought about God and the only times I did were times that were selfish and when I thought I needed help. Like before a big game I would ask him to help me get a hit, or crossing my fingers when it was the final play of a game and hoping God would help. Looking back that’s because I did not truly know who God is, and I’m not saying I do now, but I for sure have a greater understanding through my experience and research. In chapter two I explored who God is and was able to find a good connection of who God is through the words of Reverend Doctor William Barry. Barry brings up the idea of how God and is like our parents in a way how they provide us with comfort and are always there when we need them. This I agree with because I believe that the best way that I have encountered God through my time at Brophy has been through the actions with others, not only my parents, but I have been reinforced that God can be found in simple ways. In my first experience with getting my dog Harper I talked about how that was one of the only strong evidences that I have of God working in my life. And this is most likely because I feel that God was acting as a parent to me

For some years now I have searched for answers to why I believe in certain ideas. Ever since I was born, my parents have raised me as a Christian. They would teach me stories from the Bible. I became familiar with the Bible and the lessons from Jesus’ parables. However, as I grew older I started to wonder, “Why do I call myself a Christian? Am I a Christian because of my parents or because I truly believe and have a relationship with God?” In today’s world there are so many religions that people are looking for which one is true. Out of all the religions, I have chosen to be a Christian as a result of personal experiences as well as the cosmological and moral arguments for the existence of a Creator.

Since the beginning, I always remembered being dragged to church. My egotistical six year old self thought that I was too young to be going to church. I was that type of child who would make up any excuse as to why I absolutely, positively could not go to church that day. Whether it was because I had come down with Ebola that day or that I needed to stay home or the cat would run away, my mother always forced me to go. This wasn’t because I didn’t believe in Him, but what kid wants to sit through an hour long presentation that had no visual aid or really any idea on what the pastor was saying? I sure didn’t.

During the course of this class, I have learned a lot about different religions. I still have an unprejudiced view of religion. However, I did not suspend my belief to have an understanding of religion. I have been able to learn of other religious beliefs without feeling threatened of my own. I found there are many different practices in other religions, some I agree with and some I do not agree with. I have come to except others, ways of worship without getting upset. I have become humble in my conclusion now that I have a better understanding of others beliefs. The world seems to jump to conclusions and be judgmental about other religions. Postponing ones judgement on a religion is a difficult thing to do. Being raised and taught a certain religion and set of beliefs is distilled in to one’s mind. I, on the other hand, reserved my personal judgement until I have learned more about it.