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The influence of religion and beliefs on individuals and society
The influence of religion and beliefs on individuals and society
The influence of religion and beliefs on individuals and society
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One of the most important things I learned about in this class was the link between religion, spirituality, and health. “Spiritual experience” can have many different meanings for every person, but all those experiences can have some significant impact on health. Many of the positive health impacts are extremely helpful, simply because we exist in such a crazy world. Religion and spirituality can be used as efficient coping mechanisms to deal with overall stress, anxiety, depression, and feelings about death. They can also provide a reason to live or exist in life; some people are not able to see a purpose in life without looking through a religion or spiritual lens, so their spirituality is essentially what is keeping them alive.
The second most important thing I learned was how impactful religion could be throughout development in life. At every different stage of life, the more a spiritual belief is instilled within you, the more it affects your understanding. Kids take the meaning of spiritual belief from the one who teaches them. They don’t often question what is being taught because the information is usually coming from person who has taught them everything else in life. Once they get older, they still have
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I think that more information should be gathered from people’s deconversion experiences in mainstream religions simply because of the scale of membership. Of course the cult deconversions are generally more interesting because cults have an occult mystique to them, but mainstream deconversion is probably far more common and actually more relevant to the general public. I think that with those experiences we can learn more about individual’s disillusionment with religion and spirituality. When many people deconvert from a cult, they end up joining an established religion, maybe even a
Differing Functions in Popular Culture It only makes sense that there are countless novels and films focused on the afterlife when we consider the human race 's collective interest in what happens after death. Several popular movies have presented different versions of the afterlife, each with their own purpose. Beetlejuice (1988) tells the story of two individuals who pass away in their home, and must navigate their new existence in the afterlife by reading a book entitled Handbook for the Recently Deceased. In this movie, the two deceased individuals seem to be in an intermediate realm between Earth and the Netherworld (similar to Hell); they are in regular contact with a girl living in their previous home, but they also visit the Netherworld
Mindfulness is a concept or practice that was founded nearly 2600 years ago. It is a very integral component of the Buddhist faith and is believed to be associated with many benefits including self-control, tolerance, flexibility, objectivity, concentration, mental clarity, emotional intelligence, kindness, compassion, acceptance, and equanimity.
Throughout history, it seems that medicine and spirituality have been linked in many circumstances. In a study looking at the use of complementary and alternative therapies in cardiac patients, spiritual healing was one of many practices patient sought to utilize. In another study, 29% of participants chose to use prayer or premeditation as a way to cope with their chronic illness. In both studies, prayer or meditation was more likely to be used by individuals who had a large social network, as well as support from another person in the same health situation. Based on these studies, it seems that many individuals (not just cardiovascular patients) turn to their spirituality in times of health distress.
What is Christianity and why has it been able to develop into a continuously growing and evolving religion?
Historically, the concept of caring for the afflicted was founded on biblical principles, especially morality. On a personal level, an individual’s spirituality also influences how one copes with stressors in life, such as illness. When addressing an individual’s emotional and spiritual needs, health benefits such as decreased pain, decreased stress and anxiety, improved rates of insomnia, as well as decreased cardiac and respiratory rates have been realized (Puchalski, 2001). More broadly stated, “Spiritual practices have been shown to improve health outcomes” (Puchalski, 2001, p.
Religion and spirituality is a major essential part of one’s’ health. They have included things such as prayer in healing, counseling, and the use of meditation. Spiritual issues make a difference in an individual’s experience of illness and health. With spirituality, the health care providers can learn to support the values for the art of healing. The health care provider must have respect for their patient’s religion. (Larry Dossey. Healing Words: The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine. Harper Collins, San Francisco. 1993.)
The winds of apostasy, atheism, and religious ignorance have wreaked havoc around the world. Many a people have left their religions due to religious ignorance, confusion, or even a sense of disgust toward their religious beliefs has caused people to live god-less lives. Many a people have wreaked havoc around the world due to their religious ignorance causing thousands of people to be hurt, ruining the peace and serenity in many countries, and atlas defaming the name of a religion.
There is evidence suggesting that attention to one’s spirituality influences the ability to cope with illness, help in the prevention of illn...
Throughout history, religion has helped form the basic fabric of society. From an early age, religion provided the answers to any unexplainable natural phenomena. The question of why the world worked in a particular way was easily answered with “because [name of deity] made it that way.” Religion was everywhere; everyone had their own ideas about how the world worked and what their role was in the universe. Each likeminded group held that their religious beliefs were the root cause of their happiness and general satisfaction with life. Centuries of religious dominance eventually gave birth to a widespread idea that strong religious beliefs are essential to living a happy and fulfilling life. Even today, in a society dominated by scientific advances, religion finds a niche in catering to people’s spiritual needs. Indeed, despite the societal changes that have occurred in modern times, religion has remained largely unchanged since its early days. The belief that religion factors heavily into one’s life satisfaction and happiness has also remained much the same, despite today’s complex and ever-changing society. The problem lies where religion is viewed as a major way to achieve happiness, and this perspective can lead to blind acceptance of religion solely on the basis of its supposed universal benefits. Basically, a new way of looking at religion is needed: seeing it not as the end-all happiness tool, but as a small factor in a complex web of happiness and well-being.
Spiritual wellness greatly concerns our connection to God. It involves our attitudes, actions, behaviors, and values. It exists to give purpose and meaning to our lives. It provides the core for all other aspects of wellness. From a Judeo-Christian perspective, spiritual health involves being restored in our relationship with Christ Jesus. This means believing in Him as Savior and accepting His salvation. To take it a step further and be spiritually well, a person needs to live for God every day. One should be continuously submitting themselves to God’s will and living a life like Christ. Spiritual wellness is absolutely essential to our overall health. When a person is spiritually well they can easily define their basic purpose and express the values that they hold dear. The ability to do this contributes to our satisfaction with life. This then leads to our ability to demonstrate spiritual wellness effectively. To exhibit spiritual wellness a person must learn to forgive. When we can give forgiveness to others it provides peace for ...
A pastor has a great responsibility to minister the Word of God and to be a shepherd to his people. The pastor must be committed to biblical truths when he engages the work of the ministry. Some of these truths include: The Bible is the infallible Word of God, his preaching must be from the Word of God, and he must do proper exegesis to get to the authorial intent and proclaim that to his congregation.
“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...
I do not think that everyone fits in one hundred percent of the time. I think there are times that we all feel out of the loop, and there are times when we feel like we do not belong. Whether we like it or not, those moments can change us and shape us. I have had times like this in my life too. One of these instances that is still affecting me to this very day has become even more prevalent in the past few months. This experience I am having has changed the way I think, act, and feel about the world surrounding me.
Spirituality can have many different definitions, depending on who is asked. It can be something as simple as looking for a higher meaning to life, or something so complex that one can base their beliefs, religion and overall life around it. There are several different ways to express one's spirituality; rituals, songs, dances, stories, and writings are all common methods of expression.
According to Hutchison (2015), “religion is symbolic patterns that consists of values, beliefs, behaviors and experiences” (p. 184). I personal conceptualize spirituality as a vital role in my life that helps me during a time of sickness, forgiveness, and needed guidance. Spirituality helps guide me throughout life during the difficult times I have encountered. Spirituality impacts my life in positive ways that influence and regulate my behavior and health. Health is very important to me; I believe the spirit can heal a person from their sickness. It seems that the spirit heals me every time I pray to be healed from sickness. The spirit gives me strength at a time of weakness. When I feel at my lowest point in life I call on the spirit to pick