Why do people continue to attend?
The following post is written by Kristen (kristenmh1217), but she was having troubles getting it uploaded, so I am posting it for her:
Over the course of the semester we have explored many different definitions of religion. But, we never really talked about exactly what lies beneath the doctrines of various religions. I would like to take this opportunity to talk about what I think those common threads are.
I would like to consider myself a moral person, but I guess the jury is still out on that one. I also never went to church on a consistent basis. Whenever I did go, I always felt that the parables were really just ways to guide moral action. Although I have not read any religious texts, form what I do know, it seems that morality is pretty high on the list of important things to discuss. If this is the case, then do you really need a religion or a church to tell you these things? Morality is reinforced at home, at school, and in many other non-(overtly) religious organizations. To this day I am a Girl Scout and have been taught to be moral, to respect others, to help in my community, and to become a leader. But, again, I never attended church long enough for it to become a large part of my life.
This leads me to my question: If people can teach morality, to the extent that morality can be taught, at places other than the church, then why do people continue to attend? One answer is for the community. But, I have found community through many of my activities that are not associated with church. My other thought is that church and God serve as security blankets for believers. Believing in fate and having faith that someone is looking out for you are panaceas for any worries you may have in life. When you believe you can always say, “It’ll work out, God’s watching."
As a non-believer, that actually sounds kind of nice—honestly believing that someone is looking out for you and planning your life is such a wonderful delusion. But, it is still a delusion. It also leaves the door wide open for a “hands-off” approach to life. If God has a plan, then you never really have to take responsibility for your actions. If you do take responsibility for your actions, the onus is all on you. You can’t blame anyone but yourself, which can be hard sometimes. No one likes to be wrong or to make a mistake, but worse yet is taking responsibility for that action.
Finally, one criticism is that religious people are not prone to thinking for themselves. But, to what extent is anyone truly thinking for themselves? Every day we are influenced by our professors, our parents, our friends, our peers, the shows we watch, the advertisements we are exposed to. The list literally never ends. Honestly, I don’t quite know where I stand on this topic. I know I am not religious, but how should I feel about religious people? One thing I do know is that I really hate the people who are only religious on Sunday’s. Religion is part of an identity, shaping how people view you and how you should behave. Please don’t claim to be religious if you are a slut or a murderer or a liar. I understand no one is perfect, but either do it all the way or don’t do it all. I also know that I feel as if religious people are a little naïve in the way they structure their belief systems about the world. But, then again, so am I and I am definitely not religious.
Over the course of the semester we have explored many different definitions of religion. But, we never really talked about exactly what lies beneath the doctrines of various religions. I would like to take this opportunity to talk about what I think those common threads are.
I would like to consider myself a moral person, but I guess the jury is still out on that one. I also never went to church on a consistent basis. Whenever I did go, I always felt that the parables were really just ways to guide moral action. Although I have not read any religious texts, form what I do know, it seems that morality is pretty high on the list of important things to discuss. If this is the case, then do you really need a religion or a church to tell you these things? Morality is reinforced at home, at school, and in many other non-(overtly) religious organizations. To this day I am a Girl Scout and have been taught to be moral, to respect others, to help in my community, and to become a leader. But, again, I never attended church long enough for it to become a large part of my life.
This leads me to my question: If people can teach morality, to the extent that morality can be taught, at places other than the church, then why do people continue to attend? One answer is for the community. But, I have found community through many of my activities that are not associated with church. My other thought is that church and God serve as security blankets for believers. Believing in fate and having faith that someone is looking out for you are panaceas for any worries you may have in life. When you believe you can always say, “It’ll work out, God’s watching."
As a non-believer, that actually sounds kind of nice—honestly believing that someone is looking out for you and planning your life is such a wonderful delusion. But, it is still a delusion. It also leaves the door wide open for a “hands-off” approach to life. If God has a plan, then you never really have to take responsibility for your actions. If you do take responsibility for your actions, the onus is all on you. You can’t blame anyone but yourself, which can be hard sometimes. No one likes to be wrong or to make a mistake, but worse yet is taking responsibility for that action.
Finally, one criticism is that religious people are not prone to thinking for themselves. But, to what extent is anyone truly thinking for themselves? Every day we are influenced by our professors, our parents, our friends, our peers, the shows we watch, the advertisements we are exposed to. The list literally never ends. Honestly, I don’t quite know where I stand on this topic. I know I am not religious, but how should I feel about religious people? One thing I do know is that I really hate the people who are only religious on Sunday’s. Religion is part of an identity, shaping how people view you and how you should behave. Please don’t claim to be religious if you are a slut or a murderer or a liar. I understand no one is perfect, but either do it all the way or don’t do it all. I also know that I feel as if religious people are a little naïve in the way they structure their belief systems about the world. But, then again, so am I and I am definitely not religious.
1 Comments:
what do you consider to be a religious person?
a person that attends regular services? one that gives money to their church? or simply a person that believes in the ideals of a particular faith?
can a person be religious, and still immoral? sure they can. think of all of the horrible things people do in this world, for the good of a cause, a belief, and sometimes their particular religion.
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