Religion : My Religion And Who I Am I

I believe that the situations I’ve been put through hold full responsibility for shaping me into the young, responsible, independent woman I have become. Going through my father’s deportation and having to depend on myself since I was only eight years old has had the biggest impact in my life.

The environment you grow up in and people you find yourself surrounded by as your make your way through the maze of life has a profound impact on a person 's worldviews. I am no exception to this rule, and to illustrate this point I will detail how I was raised, what I believed, and how I came to start examining those beliefs a little closer. This critical examination of my own beliefs has led to change how I think about the world in an enormous way, and has had a massive impact on how I relate to and understand other people.

Two significant people that made an impact for me are my parents because they have always worked hard to give us everything we need. If it wouldn’t have been for my parents guiding me to be better than others I might have Joined a gang or been under bad influences. There are two significant events that really impacted me one was a tragic event that happened to my neighbor/friends, who lost their mother after she died for reasons that I was too young to remember. After watching them live their lives without mothers I couldn’t imagine how hard it was for them. The Second event is a shooting that happened at home while we were gone and my brother wasn’t with us, my family and I were terrified until my mother received a call from my aunt who lived nearby, who had my brother for several hours. After, that moment my family had begun to feel relieved and learned to not let any moment we spend together be worthless. If there would be one thing that I would change from my past it would be surrounding myself from kids who instead of helping each other rise,

Any one person can have a number of experiences, both good and bad, big and small. Not all of these will change or shape a person, but all of them have the opportunity to depending on how they are perceived by the person and when they occur. One large experience that has drastically impacted my life is coping with bipolar disorder.

One thing that impacted my life was coming to job corp. Job corps really has changed my life around in many ways and the way I think about everyday life. In life I have been to juvenile 2 times and to jail three times. One thing about me when I dropped out of high school I started being in the streets and not caring about life I didn’t realize all thing bad things I was doing. For a moment my own mom said she didn’t know who I was anyone because how I was living.

This class has made me think about encounters I have had with different groups of people over the last couple years. The class that we discussed Islam reminded me about a time at work when I was talking to a Muslim co-worker. My co-worker was talking her weekend and that she went to the Cheesecake Factory and said that she tried red wine for the first time and thought it was disgusting. I did not think anything of asking her if she just turned 21, thinking that was why it was a big deal that she had drank red wine. I had completely forgotten that Muslims are not supposed to drink alcohol and basically put my foot in my mouth. She did not think it was a big deal and kind of laughed about it, but I still felt bad. I had assumed that college students who are Muslim would be kind of like Christian college students, by exploring more things and doing things that their faith does not necessarily approve off. I am sure that there are many Muslim college students who do do that, but I should not have assumed that Muslim college students would act the same way that many Christian college students do.

There have been many different situations and many different people make changes in my life, but not many making a big influence. I would say the person who has been the biggest influence in my life would be my mom. She has taught me many life lessons and she has cared for me since day one. Another one of the biggest influences in my life would be the game of softball. I started playing softball when I was about five years old.

As I look back on my life, as short as it has been so far, there are a few key events that I recall that have shaped me most as an individual and secured my different places in life. I was born in Roosevelt, Utah. In this small town of just under 7,000 people I never truly was able to find out who I wanted to be. The community was heavily influenced by two main factors, the Mormon religion and a very conservative culture. If you were not a part of one or both of these influences you generally would run in an outer circle. I found it hard to figure out who I wanted to be as I battled with the cultural norm as well as my own internal struggles.

A specific detail that effects my present day life is my parents divorce. The separation from my parents taught me how to do many tasks on my own. I learned how to take the bus as well as different forms of public transportation on my own. I became more mobile and able to see my other family members more often which caused us to become closer. Now at holidays, the celebrations are doubled up.

David Chidester defines religion as the ways of being a human person in a human place. He further goes on to describe it as “the practices and discourses that negotiate what it is to be human in person in relation to the superhuman or in relation to whatever might be treated as subhuman” (Chidester). As such religion can be said to encompass the beliefs customs and even the cultures of the people. It defines and shapes the human out view to life and how they relate to each other based on the morals and ethical guidelines outlined in the various doctrines governing the religions. Over the years, religion has been interpreted from different perspectives. Over time in history, religion was directly intertwined with the activities and the lives of the people. For instance, where the people practiced farming, they had deities or gods which were thought to control and protect the seasons which were an integral part of the farming activities. The same case applied to those who practiced pastoralism activities. In all aspects, the religion was in tandem with their activities.

One identifier that has shaped me into the person I am is being a military brat. My father is a military officer for the USMC and his job has greatly affected my life. Since I was born, my family has moved seven times and I have lived in six different states and in Okinawa, Japan. Throughout my life, I have gone through many changes and been challenged in many ways. Theses events have made me stronger as a person. This has not only change my life; it has changed who I am.

Throughout my lifetime, activities, events, and services that I am involved in have shaped me as a person. The one thing that I personally think has had the most impact on my character is being a soccer coach for Lil’ Kickers, it has given me qualities of leadership that will carry on throughout my entire life.

I would describe my own personal faith to be Christian- Catholic, the same as my parent’s faith. I grew up being catholic. I was baptized, did my first communion and even did my confirmation. I believe in one God; but I also believe in God as a Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I believe in Angels, Saints, and the old and new testament. I believe in Mary, God’s mother, and I also believe in all of Jesus’s apostles.

My faith journey, began when I was born I was basically born and raised to be a Christian going to church every Sunday. To praying every night, to accepting the body a blood a Jesus, to understanding that all the holidays weren’t just for the gifts but it was meant for my savor Jesus Christ.

What religion am I? In my life, I have been told many things about my religion. My mother is a Roman Catholic, while my father is Jewish. I have learned about both religions, and I have tried to practice both as best I could, but I am now faced with the decision; which one am I?