Reflection On 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 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.

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.

Since I can remember, my family and I have gone to church every Sunday, read the bible, and participated in church events--participating in the youth group and hosting food drives for the less fortunate. The church was my second home, and the people there were like family.

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.

Considering the notion that my religion plays a significant role in my culture and identity, I felt it was appropriate to focus my plunges on religion. Interestingly, Judaism is considered to be a culture just as much as a religious doctrine, thus for those who identify as nonreligious, may still celebrate the spiritual holidays for cultural reasons alone (Sue & Sue, 2016). Judaism is a monotheistic faith in which there is only one God. In the Jewish faith, Jesus Christ is not referred to as the Messiah; followers believe that God has still yet to arrive (Differences Between, n.d.). Judaism puts little emphasis on the afterlife because what is most important is what individuals do while still alive (Monaghan & Viereck, 2011). The Jewish lifestyle includes following the commandments that are in the Torah, attending a synagogue for Shabbat, and for some divisions follow the Jewish law, known as halacha (Monaghan & Viereck, 2011). Judaism emphasizes the value of atonement and asking for forgiveness for one’s sins, especially on the Jewish celebration, Yom Kippur (Sue & Sue, 2016). Other traditions include the coming of age ritual referred to as bat-mitzvah or bar mitzvah (Religious Facts, 2006).

Spirituality is an important factor to consider when providing care to patients. Personal spirituality can influence one’s perspective of health care delivery. Specifically, it can impact how we feel about sensitive topics such as abortion, euthanasia, and advance directives can affect our ability to establish genuine connections with patients and families considering these options. Outlined below are my personal reflections to the Spiritual Assessment questions presented in this assignment.

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.

Before my birth, it was already decided that I would be dedicated to the Christian God. True to my parents' word, about two months after I was born on April 15th, 2001, I was officially dedicated to God. From that moment on until sometime in middle school, I was a devout Christian until something happened to make me question my beliefs. After several years of questioning just what it was I truly believed in, I've finally come to peace with the conclusion that I am agnostic. Despite the struggles that came with trying to discover what my true beliefs were, finding out that I'm an agnostic has brought me a sense of inner peace and relief I've never previously experienced.

All of our reasons for our faith are all different. Some people think it is a feeling, others believe it is for their protection only. Me, I view it as a passion and love for the one who has created me. My faith is more than just a feeling I have. It is what supports me and what I know is right. Lots of the time when people look at religion the look at it as a crutch for people who cannot accept reality. Not only as a Christian, but as a simple human being I know that this is wrong. In these paragraphs I will explain my reasons for my faith and the reality and truth behind it.

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.

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

was not raised in a family that went to church every Sunday. We rarely went to church, but it was not because we were against it or don’t believe in God. It just that it was never something we focused on. My parents weren't raised going to church every Sunday either, they would just occasionally go on holidays or with other family members. Therefore, going to church was not passed down to our family. We didn't talk much about God or the Bible, so we considered ourselves Christians but I did not know many of the formal bible stories except for what I have figured out over time by friends, school and doing my own research.

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.