Religion: A Personal Perspective

The theories based on the world’s existence are still considered suspiciously. Even though scientific theories seem more sensible and logical, religious theories are also supported by plenty of people. Therefore, in order to teach students about one of the world’s common issue, religion, religion education has to take part in education systems. However, there is a dilemma about whether religion education should include every religion or only the religion which is widespread and ubiquitous in a particular area. In spite of the one religion based education supporters, opponents stand up to one religion based education and reach a wise idea: Religion education should teach students about every religion because it enhances general knowledge and success level, also lessens discrimination.

Every intricate detail of a religion makes it unique and special; from prayer to worship and everything that follows. I feel that now I can hold an intellectual conversation without feeling ignorant. I also believe religion can be viewed from many perspectives; philosophical are theological just two examples. I say this because I got to see how religion tied in very well with an Ethics class I am taking in conjunction to this one. Although these philosophers did not get deep into religion I was able to make a connection from a different point of view.

I am not sure whom I would be angrier with; my father for hiding the truth from me, or the state of reality that would be so dreadfully new to me. I suppose that if it weren't for his father the... ... middle of paper ... ...he ideal path of enlightenment. The former truly represents how these religions are alike. It seems that the more I interpret different faiths, the more I find that almost each and everyone thus far has had the same moral beliefs, including truth, loyalty and compassion. All in all, I have discovered that though Buddhism and Hinduism might have many different beliefs and origins there are many similarities as well.

My freshman year of college, I felt a call to missions, but until this class I was not sure exactly what that “call” fully entailed. I have searched for answers, and prayed like crazy for confirmation in why I was being called to missions and exactly what I was supposed to do with this call. This semester, I was able to learn about religions that I have never taken the time to fully understand. Ultimately, I was able to grasp a better understanding of what other religions believe and this allowed me to evaluate what I believe and why I believe it. Although, I found that my attitude towards people who have been pushed away from the church grew astronomically in a way that I began to feel deeply for these people.

Some religions fast or feast during their sacred time, while others may embrace special worship services and reg... ... middle of paper ... ... talk to me about Jehovah, which is hard since I have known Christ my whole entire life, but it does not hurt to listen and learn something new. Some critical issues in the study of religion may be the issue of trying to prove to non-believers there really is a higher power. It would be like trying to prove faith versus truth, but what is truth? In conclusion, religious beliefs and practices come in many customs and methods; however no matter what or who you decide to worship, it all inspires a connection or association with the divine. The divine can be a person, a space or place, an object as well as any part of nature.

This is where truth claims come in. We talked a lot about truth claims this semester and the impact they have in different religions. A truth claim is what you claim to be true within a religion. Religious truth-claims express different perspectives on “how things are” suggested by Paul Knitter, a noted religion scholar (pg43). In a religion, what one claims to be true within that religion or what the religion teaches, is its truth-claim.

Tough, but worth reading because this book made me think about issues that I have taken for granted as well as offering potential insight into the more devout among us. For me faith still produces and offers a wide variety of questions but in the end I know my beliefs are based on love and understanding leading to salvation and happiness that can also be found through philosophy. But after looking deeper into both terms, I find that they are very closely related.

Amidst my notes and scribblings in the book, I truly GOT something that I could write about and believe in. (My problem up to this point was finding a topic I could write about and not feel like I was betraying my true thoughts- I found that I could come up with a ton of great ideas that I knew weren’t true to my thoughts at this point.) This is my final realization: Jesus’ main teaching was to seek him out and find him to be true as an individual. I feel that I can explain and believe this because it is one thing that I find true in many divisions of the Christian religion. There is almost no dispute in the fact that Jesus wanted his followers to seek him as the truth.

I also like that it’s an individual process and you are working on yourself to reach Nirvana. It surprised me on how much different this religion is compared to others. Although it may have similar concepts like reincarnation and dharma, it uses them in different aspects to reach its goal; enlightenment. The three religions that we have studied so far has given me a broader perspective and outlook on religion. Many concepts were really intriguing and not only increased my knowledge on these subjects but also helped me create a different view on my own personal

I am forever indebted to my classmates and instructor for sharing their experiences and interpretations. As a result of this course, my spiritual awareness and understanding has been elevated. At the same time, I have developed a greater appreciation and understanding of other world religions. While my focus will be centered on God and Christian concepts, I will also explore concepts in other world religions which may enhance my overall spirituality. At the same time, I understand there are concepts which may or may not work for me.