My Life, My Religion - Essay Example

My Life, My Religion Born and raised in a fairly affluent area of a large my influences, therefore my patterns of thought and behavior, reflected the external factors generally associated with this lifestyle. Monetary gain, social status and educational excellence dominated most every social interaction and individual contemplation. Like seemingly everyone else in the extended neighborhood, I went to church every Sunday though I didn’t look forward to sitting still for over an hour. It did provide another venue in which to gather with friends. To help ease the monotony of the sermon, I began reading during the long oration. The Bible or the hymn book was my only choices so I choose the storybook. My parents decided to allow me to read, I suppose, because it kept me from sleeping or fidgeting. My interest in this very long and difficult to comprehend book grew over time as did the time invested in exploring it. I began reading at home during episodes of boredom. This experience during my early teen years changed my outlook and shaped my philosophy on life. As I read, what I thought was important became rather meaningless. I began to develop a much different set of values than my friends, neighbors and family. What fascinated me the most were the first four books of the New Testament. I found the words of Christ simple, to the point and ultimately a path to inner contentment. The Bible gave me the foundation of what I have built upon since my youth. Since then, I have read other philosophical and religious books and found they do not contradict, in fact they support the tenets found in the Bible. Though the roots of my viewpoint begin with the Bible, I do not consider myself Christian, far from it. Most religions I know including and especially Christianity teach that ‘we are the right path to God’ therefore no other belief system is valid. My interpretation of Christ’s words leads me to believe division is ultimately destructive for the individual and society. Rather, I concluded that inclusion and finding the similarities help bind us all together. The words of Christ allowed me to develop a new viewpoint which teaches the path to real happiness. In my case, this involves thinking in ways that bolster my self respect, what makes me proud of me. Others, of course, have different views on what makes them happy such as ‘if I make more money, I’d be higher on the social ladder’ or ‘if I had more control over my life, I’d be happy then.’ These are goals, yes, but not a sound philosophy. Material wealth seems to be what consumes many people’s thoughts and dreams while other concerns such as integrity, compassion and open-mindedness are somewhat less important. I believe that these qualities are the very matters that produce happiness thus improving my quality of life as well as others that I come in contact with. Inner peace involves being able to examine your position on a topic and questioning why you think a certain way. This leads to questioning and modifying core beliefs, a sign of growth which is an important facet of my personal philosophy. Spiritual and intellectual growth drives all aspects of living and interrelating with other people which is another important feature of life. How we interact and affect other souls, to me, gives the greatest reward. Giving people something that they all too often do not receive, respect and unbiased understanding, gives me a self-gratification that cannot be matched. Whether or not the end result is for the common good or for selfish reasons, a philosophy of life follows in the way of what we believe we need to be happy, a selfish act in itself. The external force of a mysterious, ancient book set in motion a completely different concept of life and living that will continue all of my life. It is ironic that reading the Bible drove me away from the church. I suppose I should be glad that the church did not offer comic books to read. My religion became one of my own making and continues to evolve as new experiences bring new knowledge. It is a combination of differing religions, philosophies, and ideologies assimilated through personal introspection. My personal, unique religion gives me a sound foundation by which to live but it also is a barrier to social interactions. During high school, I was invited to many religion-related sponsored youth events. At church camp, for example, I went through the motions during group prayer and sang the songs at the ‘revival tent’ but I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was as enemy infiltrator, as if I were carrying a terrible secret and to reveal this knowledge would seal my doom. Over-dramatic wording of course but the feeling was always present and still is. It’s amazing how many times I’m asked what church I attend or during the course of casual conversation, it’s simply assumed that I am a Christian; that I am of the right-wing ideology. I do try to do unto others, not cast the first stone, etc, which has prompted more than a few people to remark to me, ‘that’s a Christian thing to do.’ I never correct them, just smile and nod my head. Once a lady and I had been talking for a few minutes then she, completely off subject, said that she was involved in a single’s group and asked if I would like to join. I said I was interested, because I knew that she was pleasant, intelligent (and cute) and maybe there were more like her there. She handed me a card for the organization, a Christian organization. I explained that I would still like to go but wasn’t a Christian myself. By the look on her face, you’d think I said I was actually a girl dressed to look like a boy. My unique religion is a comfort to me but it also makes aspects of life socially uncomfortable. It seems so simple to me and so complex to others. My religion does not involve stained glass windows, flowing robes, pipe organ music and time–honored ceremonies. It does, however, have one advantage. Wherever I am, my religion is with me. Read More