GROUP BELIEFS Lisa Shiu I attended a Catholic school 1st through 8th grade. I went to mass every Sunday and celebrated all the Catholic holidays. I believed in God with my entire being. I believed everything that the Bible said and took it for truth. I feared God and what might happen to me if I didn't follow the Ten Commandments strictly. I thought that since I was, everyone was a Catholic and believed in the same things that I did. I was young and very impressionable. Now that I've matured and seen what the world has to offer, seen the many, varying beliefs of others, I've shyed away from my own Catholic upbringing. Now that I am in college, church on Sunday never happens unless I'm home for the weekend. I am the typical Easter and Christmas church going Catholic. My faith was a huge part of my life and it is sad to me that I've lost this. But I am not so certain anymore that what I was taught to believe is the whole truth. I don't believe in many of the principles that I studied in grade school and I know now that the Bible is not a scientific journal. I want to explore religion and find a new faith that correlates with what I believe. This is going to be a difficult thing since I really am not sure what I believe. Faith is defined as a belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence. As much as I wish that I could trust everyone in every situation, humanity has taught me not to think that way. I've been hardened by the world and my experiences in it. A person has to earn my trust before I can really believe what they say and stand for. Unfortunately, this mindset has worked its way to my religion too and that is not the way that faith works. I find it difficult to believe things without solid proof to support them, and what kind of evidence do we have to prove that a higher being exists? Finding a god or a multitude of gods or none at all to believe in is not about having evidence to verify it. I think that you have to find something that you can relate and be true to because without the ability to fully believe in it, there is no point. Having a religion and a strong faith in it is comforting.
I think that this is the reason that so many people have the beliefs that
they do. If your religion promises you an afterlife where your soul will
live forever, the fear of dying is not so strong. If your religion teaches
you that through prayer, you can talk to your god or gods, you can be
comforted with the idea that someone out there is listening to you and
your problems. If your religion proclaims that there is a reason for everything,
the loss of a loved one is easier to take. Religion offers people a cushion.
Although not concrete, it is calming to think that another being is watching
over you and taking care of you. It is an escape from the pressures of
everyday life and the stresses that it puts on you. I want to have this
cushion and will keep searching until I find it. Jared McCune When I was little, I used to hate going to church. I mean, who really wants to get up early on a Sunday morning and listen to some guy talk when you really have no idea what he is trying to say? I look back and see myself fighting my Dad every Sunday and wish he would just let me stay at home, just once. Now, things have changed. I'm not going to lie and say that I go to church every Sunday or even once a month, but when I do go, I get much more out of it than when I was young. Maybe its because I'm supposed to be mature, maybe it's because I've lost a father, or maybe it's the grown up thing to do. Who knows? I was raised a Christian, but it doesn't really matter because I have taken those beliefs and created my own, according to my own standards. From first hand experience, I have learned that life is too short to waste time worrying every second if someone or something has a set plan for me. I take one day at a time and if I do what I feel is right, then I have nothing to worry about. We all know what's supposed to be right and wrong, but it's up to the individual to make the decision when the opportunity arises. Michael P. Brown I believe that whoever the creator is will have mercy on those who made an honest attempt to serve who they thought was God. I don't support religion, I'm more spiritual, I believe that the church is within us. I also don't believe in hell, I think it was an interpretation of the Bible that firebrand preachers used to frighten the congregation into redemption. I believe that the wicked die, lose conciousness, and are forgotten. Therefore, I don't knock anyone who serves a different God or deity than I do. I was raised Christian, and I still hold on to some of the beliefs I was taught, so I do believe in God and that Jesus is the Messiah, but the holy trinity is diffucult for me to grasp. Dan Kascak I was raised in a Catholic family. My
parents emphasized strong moral values and a belief in God. I
attended Catholic elementary and high schools, where the importance
of Jesus in my life was emphasized. I have a strong belief in
the existence of God. I consider myself a devout Catholic. I
take most of the Catholic beliefs and traditions very seriously.
Although I don't attend church when I am at Ohio University,
I do go every Sunday when I am at home. Even though I don't always
go to church, I feel that I am more religious than most people
are. My actions are guided by my beliefs. I believe that people
should try to be the best they can be. God gives everyone special
gifts and talents and that these should be discovered, nurtured,
and developed for the good of mankind. I believe that people
should treasure life because if is a gift from God. I think people
should live each day to its fullest and take advantage of the
little time we have on this planet.
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