During a hot summer night in my backyard a few years ago, I sat at my wrought-iron table, fascinated by the conversation between my aunt and grandmother. Back and forth my head flew, following the conversation of two of the matriarchs in my family. However, the topic would surprise many, for it was not about the latest music or pop culture happenings. Hours ticked away from the clock as they discussed Judeo-Christian relations and the changes made between the two religions over time. I, having never grown up in a very strong religious background, was stunned at the conversation. I always knew that my aunt and uncle’s religious affiliation—Judaism—differed from my own, but I had not known the complexity between the two. After that night, I began …show more content…
Immediately, I was opposed to being spoon-fed information I did not necessarily believe in. Not saying I did not believe in God or Catholicism, I just would have preferred to come to my own conclusions. Thus, despite going through the steps of becoming a “full Catholic,” I lacked a true, fundamental religious identity. My beliefs were not my own, they reflected the institution in which I was raised. Upon maturing and realizing this, I, like many of my peers, began to shun my faith. Rather than trying to force myself into the religious landscape of my community, I quietly removed myself. This was rather easy since my household did not have a strong religious presence. As previously stated, only my grandmother possesses a strong religious identity. According to my mother, religion comes through works, and she holds her job in the medical field as her religious practice. My parents never forced religion upon my sister and me in an attempt to let us make our own decisions. However, both of us ended up turning away from religion, to no fault of my mothers. In today’s society, it seems to be the norm for teenagers and young, working adults to shy away from religion as a strong influence in one’s …show more content…
Similar to all of my family members, Lisa grew up in an Italian, Catholic family. However, beginning in her early teenage she started to shy away from her Catholic identity. Her parents always thought it was just her going through an immature stage, but even today, Lisa identifies herself as an atheist. It was strange holding a religious conversation with someone who was completely willing to deny the existence of a greater power. Ironically, Lisa identifies the starting point of her atheism with her Catholic elementary school upbringing. In Catholic school Lisa believes the students are "forced" to agree with the fundamentals of Catholicism without much self-discovery. Initially like most students, Lisa followed her peers, falling in line with Catholic teachings. However, upon pushing her religious boundaries, she found it hard to just find faith without any reassurance. Lisa 's beliefs completely disagreed with those of her Catholic school teachers, some of the same teachers I had growing up many years later. This conversation forced me to question my own alignment with my faith, for I was a part of the same exact system as
To begin with, the dual narratives of the text here present a unique mixture of chronology and perspective. Moreover, noteworthy is also McBride’s usage of the rhetorical strategy of alternate chapters and parallelism. This can be seen when McBride remarkably places related chapters together to juxtapose the life of his mother and that of himself. This allows one to observe the parallelism in the two lives; and perhaps more importantly, understand the significance Ruth’s life has had on McBride. For example, McBride places the chapters “Shul” and “School” next to each other. Here, both Ruth and James are struggling and are trying to fit in but are rejected due to racial and social conflicts. Another example is, “The New Testament” and “The Old Testament.” Both of these chapters revolve around the embarrassment Ruth and James feel for their circumstances. In “The Ne...
I find comfort and security in knowing that love and forgiveness, regardless of my mistakes, is never withheld. Not believing in something greater than myself soon leaves me in the darkness and despair of the unknown and I feel like the meaning and purpose of my life is robbed from me. My religion also impacts my nursing practice. I have faith that God hears our cries and prayers. I believe that he does answer them, although it may not always be in the way that we want, expect or understand. If a patient of mine is struggling I can turn to God for assistance in caring for one of his children. If they happen to disclose their beliefs and are open to talking about them, I can walk beside them on their journey with life and death. An individual’s beliefs, culture and diversity impact actions and behaviours in the workplace (Harris,
First, religion has often played an important role in people’s lives, however its significance continues to decrease in recent decades. Parents do not pass on faith or beliefs onto their children, because most parents do not have faith or beliefs. These parents believe it would be hypocritical to teach their children about being spiritual, when they are not spiritual themselves. Children often go to their parents with questions regarding matters such as death, life, and God, but "Western culture is so secularized that parents can evade or dismiss 'religious' questions without feeling that they’re merely getting themselves off the hook" (Brandt 193). In contrast wit...
Ever since I started talking this class, English 1301, with Dr. Piercy, I have been able to expand my writing and thinking skills. Not only was I able to make more better essays but I also learned important topics such as how education creates an impact in the world. In this essay I will be talking about three writings and how they are related to this course semester. The three writings are “On Bullshit” by Harry Frankfurt, “Why I Write Bad” by Milo Beckman,and “Statement of Teaching Philosophy” by Stephen Booth. How are these 3 writings related to this semester’s course work?
I come from a small family whose members include my immediate family. Like most Haitian-American living in my region, religion is a fundamental part of my upbringing. I was practically raised in a church and attended church three times a week as a child. Members of my church acted as parents to me and my sister and disciplined me with my mother consent. They played an active role in my upbringing and shaped my norms and taught me was considered appropriate and inappropriate. For example, I was taught to kiss adults and elders on the cheek when saying hello. I was told that I couldn’t address adults by their first name, and most importantly I was taught to always bite my tongue and always respect my
The mind of adolescent goes through a psychosocial stage learning a morality and developing ethics (Erikson, 1963, p. 245). Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development emphasizing a child learning to trust or mistrust caregivers on early age (Broderick, 2014) and growth of faith is somewhat sensible in my view. During my middle school and high school, I was living with Hindu and Buddhist friends, only couples of us were Christian among thousands of students. Since I was engaged in such religious exercises during my early growth stages of faith framed a deep-felt and individual spiritual life, and social pattern that I stick to my parents' religions and Christian principle though I was tested so much living among the children who practiced other faith and had much different
Eastman, Roger. The Ways of Religion: An Introduction to the Major Traditions. Third Edition. Oxford University Press. N.Y. 1999
As a young boy, one could say I was a religious person; certainly, my parents wanted me to be religious and I trusted in that judgment. I attended church, if begrudgingly at times, and trusted in the information given to me during the sermons. But, being the young person I was-- I had an endless stream of questions; a desire to understand the world around you is an intrinsic part of being young. The only problem is that, every once in a while, a question I asked would be greeted by a blank stare, a moment of perplexed, palpable silence followed by a response I grew to dread, "That's just the way i...
Most people grow up with some type of belief system. Judaism, Christianity, Islam and even Agnosticism are some examples. It wasn’t until I had a child that I realized that religion was just man’s way of explaining God. Even as a kid, however, I always believed in a higher being. Not just because of my very heavy-handed Catholic upbringing. I questioned many things about my religion. Since I loved science, I was confused about how the “Big Bang” and Adam and Eve coexisted, but I always knew that God existed. I had no scientific irrefutable evidence – I just had faith. You know how they say everything you ever really need to know you learned by first grade? Well it wasn’t until I had both my faith and my life tested, that I fully came to realize that one’s spiritual journey in life doesn’t have so much to do with what religion one surrounds herself with, as much as the faith that one has in God. Faith is what defines a person’s spirituality as opposed to specific religions.
Kohn, Risa Levitt, and Rebecca Moore. A Portable God: The Origin of Judaism and Christianity. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2007. Print.
As a child, I had no choice but to follow my parents’ religious journey. At the height of my parents’ involvement with Christianity, I was enrolled in a Sunday school. However, my enrollment was short-lived, as my parents decided to turn back to Buddhism. While I did not understand the concept of religion, I knew that they made a change and chose something over the other. I simply could not rationalize their decision; I could only follow their steps. Despite choosing Buddhism, my parents did not become religiously active and only practiced quietly.
The beginning of my faith journey can be described as rocky, at best. Each Sunday morning my dad would stay home just so that he could catch every possible second of Sunday football coverage. I wasn't even exactly sure who God was; my mom just told me I had to go to church "'cause I said so." This upset me, especially as a child. Furthermore, the example that my father set for me was far beyond comprehension. Who was he to tell me to go to church when he didn't even go himself? For a long time, I lost trust in my parents because I was being led on so many different paths.
Which brings me to Fowler’s Theory of Faith Development, specifically Individual-Reflective Faith which occurs in early adulthood. Growing up as a family we went to church every Sunday and sometimes even twice a week, everyone in my family was a catholic and that was expected from all of us, no questions asked. I even got baptized as a baby and did my first communion when I was about nine years old. I did not mind the expectation from my family when I was little because I loved church, especially the singing. Then came a time where both of my parents started to work on Sundays, so did my sister, and so my brother and I helped out at my parents restaurant. Ever since then we really have not made church a priority, I believe this is what effected my encounter with my mother when I was eighteen years old. I was currently taking a class called “religion in the modern world” and learned about all rituals and how different religions support different things than others, and it got to me to reflect on what religion I grew up learning about. Some things I liked and some things I was horrified by. So talking to my mother, I was telling her my opinions and what I believed in and that there is not just one way to believe or think. She was furious, I was stepping out of the norm, but it had been because of my Individual-Reflective Faith than lead me to this stage. I am very thankful I was able to reflect on my faith, I now have a stronger bond on my beliefs and now my mother totally supports me on it, so it was all for the best that I went through this
Raised by an agnostic father and a Catholic mother, I played religious tug-of-war. During my eight years of Catholic PSR study, I moved through the motions, much like a puppeteer commanding his rag figures on a string. I listened to hypocritical “teachers”, commanding me to cut ties with my Muslim friends for fear that they are most likely terrorists and to look down to gay members of our own community. Well aware of these prejudice intolerances, I said nothing, but I did I go home and continue my practices of Catholicism. Following the sacrament of confirmation, I broke away from the church and reverted to atheism - never could I support a cause that preaches intolerance and disgust towards another human being. I did not carry this ideology: I lugged it, I tugged it, I hauled it. I desired a relationship with the Lord, but I was infuriated with the way I was taught to connect with Him. After four interminable years of refusing to listen to the Lord’s calling, I took a leap of faith that I never envisioned possible - I visited a non-denominational Christian church with the man I love the most. Dressed in my Sunday-best on a Wednesday, I walked up four stairs in my tall wedges, heart pounding and stomach turning. My inner voice scolded me and said, “You turned your back on the Lord for four years, he will condemn you upon entering a holy place”. I opened my eyes and what I saw took me by surprise - men wore athletic shorts
Religion is one of the most influential factors that structures people's point of view in the modern world. People become aware of the concept of religion from their early ages. The fact that children more often than not inherit their religious beliefs from their parent...