Tuesday, August 27, 2013
The Role of Religion
Siddhartha follows one man's journey for enlightenment. As you read, it is useful to contemplate your own attitudes and observations about the central issues of any novel. Consider the following questions and respond to one or more here: What role does religion play in today's world? How does it impact life on a global scale and how does it impact individuals personally? Is there a difference between being religious and being spiritual?
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Religion in modern day society plays a huge impact in the ways that humans live. Religion is one of the biggest factors that split cultures up, for example Israel, Iran, and America. Globally, it can cause many implications, due to the fact that inhabitants of one country do not agree with another’s beliefs/religion, which earlier in history and even today have caused wars. Not only does it affect humans globally, but also individually. Individually, religion is the basis for how someone lives’ their lives. Whether that person is religious or not, they still have a cause for doing that good deed, or “sinning”. It also plays a big role in who they are and how they act towards other people based on what their religion says. Furthermore, there is a difference between someone who is religious and some one who is spiritual. Some one who is religious is connected to their beliefs outside of their bodies, and typically don’t evaluate themselves. But, spiritualism requires one to evaluate them self and connect it to their religion by answering their questions about life. Spiritualism is a lot deeper than just religion.
ReplyDeleteJill Christensen
Religion plays a huge part in today's world. Nearly everyone has religious beliefs that influence how they live their lives and the convictions they have. Even people that do not go to church regularly still some form of a religion, and follow it to some aspect. Today there are numerous private schools that focus on one religion or a specific denomination. Even in public schools, many times sports and extracurricular activities do not take place on Wednesday nights, because many of the kids have church and youth group. Religion will always play a part in peoples' lives.
ReplyDeleteToday religion plays the very vital role that it has played for millennia across every faith and deity. It gives comfort and salvation against one of our greatest enemies, Death. All of human instinct compels us to survive to live on and on as long as possible, thus giving us the great fear of an inevitable end. But what most people fear is not the pain or suffering of death but of the end of existing consciously. Here is where religion often steps in to comfort the devotee. It gives that person comfort in believe that they conscious mind and body will continue on in an afterlife of peace, love and salvation, in a paradise land where they can continue to think, grow, and live on forever.
ReplyDeleteReligion in the world today has a huge impact on everyone including non-religious people. Everyone believes something but a lot of people do not categorize what they believe. A religion or faith can offer people a sense of comfort and answers to the questions they have such as how did we get here, what is our purpose here, and where do we go afterwards. These answers give people a reason and more of a purpse for what they do here on earth.
ReplyDeleteReligion still has a big impact on today's society, but I feel it effects some regions more than others. For example, religion is the basis on why Iran may bomb Israel. But in other countries, like the United States, religion can shape people's political views and divide the government on certain issues. In some countries, religion might not have hardly any impact on their society today. Every country is different in those terms. Many people ponder through religions in search for the purpose in life and some do find the answers they wanted through religions, some don't. But sometimes religion can change a person's life drastically, making them into a whole different person. It's different for everybody. I feel the term "spiritual" is a lot deeper then being religious. Being religious could mean going to church every Sunday but not actually believing in anything. To me, being spiritual is actually being moved or changed by whatever you put your faith in.
ReplyDeleteReligion is more than a lifestyle for a lot of people; religion is a purpose and a goal. Some people start wars over religion, others hide what they believe in fear of persecution, but no matter how you swing it, religion impacts the entire world in a huge way. Although not everyone agrees on what to believe or who to believe in, everyone has a belief of some sort. That may be agnostic or christian, muslim or hindu, and so on. In Ethiopia, the country where my youngest sister is from, there are two prominent religions, muslim and christian. These two religious groups have never got along; there have been battles, martyrs, and persecution throughout the country. This is a prime example of how much religion can affect a community and an individual.
ReplyDeleteReligion is major part of today's society and in some countries religion is their life. Some religions are more demanding and require their followers to dedicate every aspect of their life to it such as what they eat, when and how they pray, what school they go to, and many other aspects. Religion is also one of the main reasons that countries go to war because they believe their religion is the correct one therefore they believe theirs should be the only one. Individually religion effects peoples values and morals. Though many people are religious many are not spiritual. Someone who is religious may go to church every Sunday or pray 5 times a day while facing the correct direction but they haven't truly felt saved. Spiritaul, like Maddy said, is being changed and practicing your religion 24/7 and not just when it is conveniet for you.
ReplyDeleteI believe that there is a huge difference between being religious and being spiritual. Being religious to me focuses a great deal on specific guidelines and rules. This is not always true but when someone is trying to become religious they seem to be working more on their outward appearance then what is really happening on the inside. Spirituality to me is the opposite of that. It is more about inner feelings and emotions. I also think spirituality is more about God or gods and not about what they can do or can't do.
ReplyDeleteReligion impacts every person who lives on this planet. Schools and stores even have boundaries when it comes to religion. Even though in the United States, under the first amendment, America has “free choice of religion”, there boundaries are still present. Schools cannot say prayers with their students anymore. Symbols such as Christmas trees in schools are even controversial. Sanctions, groups, and special friends can even be brought together due to religion. In fact, religion defines many people, and even their country. Religion forms customs and traditions that differentiate everyone in the world’s social norms.
ReplyDeleteReligion is a topic that I feel is very hard for people to discuss in today's society. There are so many different types of religions out there, that no one wants to offend someone else based on the religion that they practice. People often learn many life lessons from their religion practices, and base how they act or what type of person they are on their religion. I think some people worry too much about making people uncomfortable if they practice a different religion and need to not realize that everyone chooses their own religious path. I view being religious as making actions to grow in your faith and have habits that you do regularly based on your religion, while a spiritual person doesn't practice their religion on a regular basis but uses it as a way to have other view them. Religion can be a very touchy topic and the one thing I wonder is, have we, as a society, made too much of a deal about it?
ReplyDeleteMiranda Murphy
Religion or lack there of can really shape a person on a personal and a moral level. Your religion can really shape your vision of what is right and what is wrong. Religion can also fill a person with a sense of peace in knowing that there is a greater power out there. With religion working on people on the personal level that snowballs to working in a public, to national, to even worldwide level when religion is shared or when religions have conflicting views or truths.
ReplyDeleteWhen I hear "religion," I think of rules, doctrines, and stained-glass windows. Of the Middle East, beautifully elaborate buildings, and priests in robes. I think of all the things people around the world do- and do not do- in the name of religion. But I honestly don't think much about the heart of things, of peoples' spirits. I don't think about what drives a person more than anything else to do the things they do - truth. Religion is man's attempt to find, identify, and wrangle truth into a box of our understanding. Truth is almost the opposite of religion in that it doesn't matter what we do with it. Truth doesn't gain or lose anything from our belief or disbelief. Its value derives from the fact that it is and was and always will be. Religion has a huge impact on how we interact with each other. Religion has a huge impact on how we view ourselves and the world around us. But religion is just the outside reflection of what we believe to be true; spiritualism is what goes on inside, whether it be committed to a certain idea of truth or not.
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