Reflective Essay On Religion

obliged to follow the ‘Five Pillars.’  They are 1) Muslim profession of faith or shahada, 2) Ritual

The synagogue is a place of assembly and as Judaism is a communal religion; the most important events take place in the presence of other people. The synagogue is the place where people meet to pray study, celebrate, mourn, and socialize. The significance of the synagogue for the individual is that it provides a place to assemble with the community. Some custom practices that occur in synagogues are; relational unions, a piece of the Shabbat festival, administrations for celebrations, infant naming services, the launch customs of Bar or Bat Mitzvahs and recognition functions for the dead. The synagogue regularly has an all around supplied library of sacred Jewish writings for individuals from the group to

These men and boys, in a gathering referred to as a priesthood meeting, discuss problems in the community and possible solutions that would be beneficial and easy for everyone involved . After this discussion, the men and boys break into smaller groups referred to as quorums. Each of these quorums studies Church teaching together and discuss the needs of individuals in the community . Following the priesthood meetings is Sunday school. All members of the Church, regardless of age or gender, attend Sunday school to enhance their understanding of their faith. In the evening, the actual worship service is held. The adult males of the community will lead the service, and occasionally, the young people of the community will address the congregation and speak about their faith . In these services, all members of the congregation wear simple white clothing, and there is no speaking unless the service requires so. After the ceremony, which lasts typically two hours, participants gather together in the temple to discuss their experiences. Despite their enthusiasm to share their experiences, outside the temple, almost no references are made to the service, for it is seen as being too holy to be spoken of outside the temple

Besides being a full-time student and a part-time employee, I volunteered at my local church King Jesus International Ministry for approximately 9 months (October 2014- July 2015) in the children's department. Working with children from ages 3 to 5 was a very gratifying experience. Every Sunday we shared several activities with the kids such as singing, dancing, painting, playing games, and reading short stories from the bible. Following this,

At first I felt out of place, the kids who were there weren't people I usually talked to in school, but you would be surprised how well a little Jesus can bring people together. I noticed how youth group became a part of my schedule, never missing a class, never wanting to. That summer, the summer going into my sophomore year, I went on a mission trip with my church to Owensboro Kentucky to build houses with Habitat For Humanity. That trip furthered my relationship with God and the other kids in my youth group. From hammering nails to weeding flower beds, I was the working hands and feet of God. After the trip I was on a “God high”, believe it or not that's an actual thing people say, I spent 7 days straight talking about God, recognizing and appreciating what he does for me. Once I got home, I wanted more. I started reading my Bible, highlighting things that stood out to me, connecting what I read with things in my life and really engaging myself in the liturgy at church. I was beginning to fall in love with what I was always supposed to love, but this time It was different. This time it was for

When I was deciding which worship service to encounter for this assignment, many religious sects came to mind, as there are many religions to explorer and understand. For me the religion that has always peaked my curiosity was Judaism, and as such, I chose this particular religion as the basis of my paper. Once I had chosen a specific religion, I then had to decide which denomination of Judaism I would observe, reform or conservative. In the end, I chose conservative because I felt the religion rituals and service would be most similar to the Roman Catholic Church masses I was accustomed to attending as a child. Upon looking for a conservative synagogue, also referred to as a temple, I found there are many different types of conservative forms

Religion is intricately intertwined with various aspects in the socio-cultural arena, that the above three factors are always present in the shaping of an individual’s religious identity. Ethnic differences; according to the Social Identity Theory, emerge when individuals of ethnic minority groups feel threatened in terms of identity, thus reasons for their emphasis on their social identities as a means of maintaining positive self-conception. Gender differences may impact on one’s religious identity; this being exemplified through the characteristic participation of the female gender in religious activities and in their expression of religion as being an important aspect of their lives, this being in relation to their male counterparts

The act of going to church every weekend was something I had a large connection to and was really important to my life at the time. Every Sunday I would wake up to my dad banging on the door to my room to wake me up to go to church. I’d get up and get dressed to meet the rest of my family downstairs in the dining room for a Sunday breakfast then after breakfast we would head off to church. I looked forward to spending time with my parents and playing around with my brothers and sister. The family connection I had every Sunday is something I will always cherish. My family taught me a set of values that were heavily influenced by the Catholic Church. Every week I would have to go to a class called CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) which a class that taught me about Catholicism and Christianity. Furthermore, I found this class really interesting because I was getting a deeper

    In this World religion class I've learned a lot. I knew a bit about christianity, but most of the other religions I had heard of, but I've never seen how religions differ and coexist. Most people tend to believe in a higher power and this course has taught me that there are so many ways people look at “God’ and ways to worship. I learned that religion is never static but changes overtime to adapt to modernity.

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.

Religion, Politics and Sexual Orientation are the three major topics that plague our society today. Religion in my opinion is the largest of the three. The word religion or religious makes the younger generation very uneasy. Why? Because it forces them to hold a standard and we all know accountability is not today’s society strongest virtue.

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).

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

The landscape of the church has changed greatly since the early days of the 1st century. The small groups, seen in the Book of Acts, have been replaced by large centralized denominations and religious institutions, and in the process, the idea that the Body of Christ is a family has been relegated into large groups of strangers. The early church was a family unit that extended far beyond the ideals and principles experienced in the church today (Sprinkle, 2015). The 1st-century church exemplified fellowship, commitment, and service to others and was held together by an unconditional bond made possible by Jesus Christ (Sprinkle, 2015).

The Church, as the assembly of God, gathers around the resurrection of Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit, as it practices the Eucharist.