From the earliest I could ever remember, my parents have put me in church and kept me involved. In particular, my family chose to attend Baptist churches. I never fully understood why I was there, although I had thought I knew exactly what I was supposed to do. I assumed that I was a good person and that God was the center of my life. I believe, however, that I was not fully aware of what the concept of God really was. By the time I was teenager, while I was not completely rebellious, I was not living a life representing Jesus win a good manner. As I grew older and matured I began to realize what Christianity was all about. As mentioned earlier, I practically grew up in church. I went there every Sunday and every Wednesday. The concept of who God was, however, never became a reality to me until I was about 13. I remember being at a church camp thinking I had been living exactly how A Christian was supposed to live. While at the camp, God’s presence, or the Holy Spirit, convicted my heart. I really felt the presence of God that night and from that moment forward I believe Jesus had ...
I did not have a religious upbringing, excluding the few half-hearted attempts at taking my sister and I to church and the local church preschool, my parents largely left us to ourselves when it came to religion. My preschool experience was soured by the concerned teachers who wrongly assumed that I was drawing devils on my papers, when in fact, they were obviously vampires. My grandma cried when my parents did not baptize me, and my grandpa has called more than once, worried that I did not “know Jesus.” Regardless, religion has always been an interest of mine, probably because it is something so foreign and unknown. I have been to plenty of church services with friends after sleep overs, Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, even one of those churches that speak in tongues. My parents never let me stay over there again. In “The Year of Living Biblically,” by Jacobs, a similarly agnostic man, attempts to gain some sort of insight by living a year of his life according to the Bible. He
I loved church. From belting "Father Abraham" to watching Gospel Bill videos to coloring pictures of David and Goliath, it was endless fun. The Sunday School teachers seemed immortal, and I loved talking to them, and I wanted to be just like them when I grew up. I learned to obey my parents and love my neighbor and speak in tongues. And of course I learned to love Jesus.
Some might say that it would be much simpler if there was no need to develop virtues and live in a world where there is no moral that is acted upon. But without moral evil in action one cannot develop of full understanding and comprehension of the characteristics such as compassion and sympathy. Though there is natural evil, it does not always illicit the same degree of certain virtues. Without facing and living through and with moral and natural evils, humanity cannot truly evolve spiritually thus moving to a more superior state.
Good friends we have, Oh, good friends we have lost, Along the way. In this great future, you can't forget your past, so dry your tears I say…..No women No cry.” That’s a reggae song from the most well-known reggae singer, Bob Marley, mentioned in Alice Walker narrative essay called “Journey to Nine Miles”. Walker is an African-American writer who tells about her journey to the Jamaican gravesite of the reggae legend Bob Marley. Walker praised Marley of being true loving soul of Jamaica, for having political shrewdness, spiritual power and sexual wildness. The place is called Nine Miles because it was nine miles far from any village in the area. Nine Miles was the most tranquil and isolated place in the world according to Walker. Walker grasps why Marley wanted to be brought back to his home village he wanted to rest and also he was buried there for a good reason as it becomes a great tourist site which brought money to the village people. Walker journey was fulfilling although she saw that Jamaica is a poor country while much of the world thinks that it’s not that even in the poverty a person can see the beauty of the country and the love that surrounds her. Walker is successful at conveying her message about Jamaica and Bob Marley in her essay through the mood by the images and illustrations, through the technique of journey motif on how she describes her journey and herself as writer and through the tone she uses in her essay.
Bibliography Coakley, Sarah. The New Asceticism: Sexuality, Gender and the Quest for God. London: Bloomsbury Continuum, 2015. Louth, Andrew. The Origins of the Christian Mystical Tradition: From Plato to Denys.
As we grow we can either stand fast in our worldview, in our beliefs as Christians, or we can adapt and be molded by what we see and experience in the world. I grew up in the church like many children. I went through the motions, was baptized, received my confirmation and went to church often. I lived according to the Bible. I was going to school with kids that chew tobacco, drank, and had sex with girls.
Religion and faith have been a part of my life since the day I was born. My grandfather has been a pastor at Selma Church of God for 39 years and my mom, along with my grandmother and aunts, run our churches worship team. One could only assume, I have spent much of my life in the church. From years of children 's church and Sunday school, I learned of God 's unconditional love for me and His constant willingness to forgive me of my sins. My family and teachers explained the crucifixion and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ. As a child, I knew all these things, these wonderful things about my God and my religion, but it was not until my early teens that I began to thirst for more.
There has never been a time in my life where I have not known about Jesus or God. I grew up in a Christian home with both of my parents sharing their love for Jesus with me. Both of my grandparents along with most of my aunts and uncles were also devout Christians. So, growing up I always had family members who knew the Lord and would direct me towards the Lord whenever I had a problem or setback. I also grew up going to church every Sunday and have attended Christian schools from kindergarten to my senior year of high school. As a result of my background I’m not exactly sure the specific moment in time that I chose to accept Jesus as my Savior as I believe that it is something that I have always believed, however towards my middle school years I began to develop a sort of doubt in my faith and whether or not I was truly a Christian.
He is still to this day active and all around us, and this is such a beautiful thing. God has immersed himself with his creation and this differs from other religions. Jesus Christ is a God that craves intimate relationship with his children and this happens through God being involved in our lives and living inside our hearts. Timothy 1:14, “Guard, through
Spiritualism is the system of religious beliefs centered on the presumption that communication with the dead, or spirits, is possible (Grolier '97). Spiritualism challenged dominant cultural beliefs of the 19th century (Paul) and is still in practice today.
From a very young age my parents ensured I was involved in church. As a confused girl searching for a connection the thought of a God who loved me and always watched over me was very appealing. I enjoyed going to church and prayed every night. As I got older and gained confidence in my identity I decided to put the questions to rest and enjoy my life. I put more effort in and attempted to have a better relationship with both of my parents. Being adopted played a large role in my belief and faith in God at a young age.
At one point or another in one’s life you are faced with God, eye to eye and you know it. You can feel the Holy Spirit’s presence, like a humming sound that’s too low to hear, but it’s there and you can feel it, a feeling that you are not alone. For some, this feeling lasts for eternity, and for others God works within them again and again because the Lord’s love is persistent. The feeling I had came and went, for it was not strong enough as a child. But now, I am the strongest I have ever been.
“Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.” According to Buddha, everyone needs some form of spirituality to define his or her life and existence. Webster Dictionary defines spiritualism as “a system of beliefs or religious practices based on supposed communication with the spirits of the dead, often times through mediums.” Though this is one general definition of spiritualism, this concept is one that does not hold a conclusive meaning. Each and every single person has the ability and right to create and practice their own idea of spiritualism. From ancient times to present day, the term and practice of spirituality has transformed, particularly from region to region. Despite the discrepancies in practices and overall understanding of this idea, spirituality has had an effect and impact upon all of humanity since the creation of time. This religion that is believed to have been established in the early eighteen hundreds, after two little girls claimed to have the ability to talk to spirits, sparked interest in this spiritual movement, allowing it to spread rather rapidly over many geographical locations. Aside from being recognized as a religion, spiritualism is also believed to be a form of philosophy and a science in which spiritualists believe that there is life after death and try to demonstrate this through the ability of attempting to communicate with those that have passed on. Spiritualism was socially different from other religions in existence at the time because it presented followers with a more tolerant belief system that assimilated the principles and facts from a selection the world's religions. Spiritualism also made it acceptable for women to play a disti...
During my seventh grade year, my church went to a youth rally at a local church on weekend. Because of this rally and the message it sent, I realized and wanted to give my life to Jesus through baptism. It was awesome, I got home as a young teenager and actually talked to my mom about what it really means to be a Christian and to pick up your cross and follow him. So that very next weekend, my dad baptized me in front of the whole church on Sunday morning. It was an awesome feeling knowing that because of Jesus’ grace and mercy, I will be with him one day and spend eternity with him. Although I was on top of the world at this point, I still didn’t know fully what I had gotten into. So the next few years, I live the typical Christian life. I was trying to be the perfect person by doing the right stuff, I would try not to cuss, I would try to wear as many WWJD bracelets as I could so that I wouldn’t have to talk to them about Christ and they could just see it on my wrist, I would not join in on conversations with my friends that I knew were not right, I was just living life on cruise control.
As far back as I can remember, I have been raised around good Christian people with good Christian values. I felt safe in church, knowing that most of the families I had connected with had the same set of values and beliefs that I was educated on throughout my life. Learning what I have in