I have so many thoughts on the topic of religion, and i honestly do not know where to start or what point of view to write from. I guess i can start by saying that I do not belong to ay religion, when I was 9 months I was baptized into the lutheran church, which I guess was mostly a formality, its something almost everyone does, in my town it is kind of a norm. But as far as practicing any religion, or believing in God I stand on neutral ground. I have no beliefs, but I do not condemn other who believes different than what I do.
Now that you know the prejudice or biases, or maybe lack thereof i think it is safe to start.
To me, religion is something that struck me as "safeguard". Human beings are afraid to believe that there is nothing out there besides us, and what we cannot explain defaults to something that God has created. Humans need something bigger than us to believe in, and there is nothing wrong with that. You can believe what you want, and I'll believe what I want.
Let's talk about religion and media, weird how those two are related. Because what I have been told by most christian is that the relationship you have with God is personal, yet media and people freak out when someone is practicing their faith differently.
Hinduism is probably my favorite religion, they are so calm and peaceful and the ultimate goal is to be so minimalistic and meditate until you reach the the point of enlightenment where you break free of reincarnation. Your punishment for not being good enough is to live over and over and over until you are good enough. Isn't that great? You might have to live your life as a cow, or a frog, but at least you have the chance to reach ultimate enlightenment and understand the universe.
At least that is what I have been taught in school, which also seems insane because in this country the schools have banned the bibles, and people are outraged because their sons and daughters are learning about other people's religious beliefs.
How can we respect people when we don't know their values?
Are we hypocrites? We want to love and respect people, but we also want people to be like us, rather than embracing our differences. . You can put your faith in God, Allah, Buddha, Vishnu, Shiva, Ganesha, Thor, Afrodite or even in yourself. Let people live their lives the way they want, and start listening to their wisdom. You can learn a lot about why people act the way they do by just listening, maybe you'll learn a thing or two, and stop being stubborn in your own ways. I think the world would be a better place if people decided to be more open minded rather than condemning what they consider to be different.
Andrea,
SvarSlettThank you for this open and non-threatening post. As you said, for some reason when religion is brought up many people get so defensive and up in arms about it. I think there is a difference between passion and compulsion. People who are passionate about something (referring to many things, not just religion) want to share it with others because it genuinely brings them joy and by sharing it, they hope to bring others joy too. Those who are compulsive about something, do it for other motives (approval, duty, fear..) and so when it is questioned, they get very defensive and angry that someone doesn't want to do what they're doing. I really liked your thoughts on Hinduism, I respect those beliefs as well. I think the concept of religion is wonderful no matter what you associate with. It brings many people together to grow and discover things that they all feel very close to in their hearts. Often times religion or a higher power gives people strength and hope that they couldn't have otherwise. I was raised Christian in I often remember many dark times in my childhood where I very much felt alone and hopeless. The only thing that helped me go to sleep some nights was praying to a Heavenly Father for comfort and my belief that he was listening was all I had. I get why religion is such an essential part of so many people's lives but I also get why many people choose to not engage in it. It's confusing and messy and time consuming, and tests you again and again. I personally very much believe in God but I also believe he is the ultimate scientist. I don't think he just snapped his fingers and the world popped up along with it's oceans and animals and humans. I think he orchestrated the creation of the universe in a natural scientific way, setting things in motion and letting them evolve. I do believe in evolution but again I think it was initiated at the very beginning by God. I don't believe that if you mess up, God punishes you by giving you a flat tire or a lawsuit, in the same respects I don't believe that if you are an avid church-goer, daily prayer, do-gooder that everything will come your way and work out. I believe God wants us to make our choices and set our own destinies but keep him in mind and thank him for blessings from time to time and ask him for a little pick me up here and there. Obviously, a lot of people are going to disagree with my beliefs and that really is okay, I'm not going to shame them or get angry! I agree with you that if we would just listen to each other more we would really start to understand the person behind the belief. Thanks again for a great post, it was really refreshing to read!