Humanity has been striving to explain the staggeringly confusing phenomenon of life and the world we live in since the emergence of intelligence itself. Where did the universe come from? Where did we come from? Why are we here? Do we really exist? What is the meaning of life? Do we simply cease to be after our death, or is there something beyond our mortal lives? Religion, which is strongly partnered with philosophy, has long served as a means of trying to answer these questions. It offers hope, inspiration, and reason. It can give people a sense of purpose and meaning. Religion has been alive and relevant since prehistoric times and it survives all over the world today. It is hard to imagine something that has a greater effect on an individual’s decisions in their life than what they choose to believe. In addition, religion brings people together in a community and unites them in fellowship. Sadly, it also can drive people apart. It is difficult to think of a more controversial subject. Everyone has their own opinions. People are very defensive about their beliefs and can often be narrow-minded and insensitive when addressing other people’s ideas. Wars have been fought and people killed over this. Mahatma Gandhi said that all religions were both true and possessing of some error. I can strongly agree with this idea. Different religions have more similarities than their followers might admit. Many have shared base philosophies, such as the idea of a human soul. Most faiths have a system of morals, which I believe are of the utmost importance. If nothing else, one of the best features of many religions is a goal to guide us toward behaving with love and kindness toward one another. I mean no offense to atheists. I do not think that you have to be religious to be a good and moral person. I am simply acknowledging the important role that religion has played both throughout history and in our society today. I believe in respecting all religions, even if I might not agree with them. I am Catholic and this religion makes sense to me. However, within every religion it is natural and perfect for people to have differing political views and interpretations of the specific meaning of a religious text. To once again borrow from Gandhi, religion is not a narrow, restrictive dogma. Any specific religion is a foundation for your own personal relationship with your god.
-Katie S.
3 comments:
Way to go. The Gandhi references were a great touch, and I liked how levelly you explained everything.
-Ed.
wow. this is so intricately written, and yet it feels as if it connects on a really personal level. it had a great argument, and the depth of your thoughts used in creating this were really evident to the reader. awesome job. (:
abby.
You have some great ideas. I really like your writing style and how you wrote in a totally unbiased way. Nice job!
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