Religious Identity
Religion is an institution that unifies people who have a common belief in the same supernatural being. There are different types of faiths, for example, Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. Religion is derived from a Latin word that means binding together. Christianity, as one of the most popular religions, binds people with the same belief, which in this case are the people who specifically believe in God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Belonging to a specific religion does not only entail sharing standard views, but it also means participating in both their religious rituals and embracing the culture that comes with the belief. The different religions of the world have some similarities. The similarities shared by these religions include; most of them have specific places of worship, holy days to worship and celebrations, all the beliefs have teachings on how to treat fellow human beings. Most of the great religions share the same origin; religious conviction such as Islam and Christianity originates from Abraham, who they describe as the father of all nations.
Everyone has the option of choosing a religion that best suits their interest; it’s upon each individual to respect other people’s religious beliefs and practices. Over the past years, people from different faiths have created grudges with one another based on thinking that their religion is superior to other individuals’ beliefs. The primary purpose of religion should be to unify everyone. The teachings of most religious groups emphasize equality, so when we become bias, we go against these teachings leading to their violation. There is a group of legal scholars who have the notion that religion is just a belief that has no impact on our day to day lives (Elder & Whitney, 2019). This sort of argument mainly occurs when an individual doesn’t believe in any religion or lacks a religious background to be aware of the roles that religion plays in people’s lives. It is evident that religion unifies and brings people together, and that faith also gives individuals a sense of belonging.
Religion is important because it helps in shaping one’s identity. By choosing to believe in a specific religion, individuals are subscribing to carry themselves in ways that the said religion deems right. For instance, if a religion does not permit certain practices, once an individual becomes a member of that religion, it becomes their duty to refrain from the practice. Religion also helps in keeping order in our societies. Because practices such as theft and rape are unacceptable in almost all religious groups, individuals of a particular faith are expected to refrain from them. Everyone has a choice to believe in a supreme being; it’s a personal choice that individuals decide by themselves. The faith of a person is life-changing, for it helps the believer view aspects of life in different ways. For instance, Religious people view marriage, death, and religious ceremony in a different way compared to secular persons. Most religious people see death as temporally or as a reconnection of a person to God. Marriage is sacred, and because of this, it ought to be kept holy, an aspect that helps one respect their partners in marriage. Religious ceremonies are considered sanctified. It’s upon the believers to keep it sacred and conduct the traditions and the required rituals. Religion also provides a deeper meaning to gender, family, and sexuality; through our faith, we understand the deeper meaning of religion and how it relates to human identity.
Believing in religion makes us part of a more significant thing than ourselves (Elder & Whitney, 2019), faith is practiced in one particular community, and we become bound together with the similarities towards the same belief. Some journalists say that we should exercise and conduct our religious activities in a private place but be neutral in public. I strongly disagree with them because religion is a vast thing to keep secret. Religion should be embraced and spread further; everyone has a choice when it comes to religion; we can believe in whichever religion that pleases us. Everyone should have a right to worship, and the government should also support and offer legal acts towards religions. Non-believers, on the other hand, have a right to their stand, but they shouldn’t feel oppressed by religious people conducting their practices in public.
Individuals should learn to appreciate religious identity and respect other people’s religions. Everyone ought to realize that religion plays a massive role in shaping a person’s identity. Religion plays a huge part in helping us learn more about our status, who are, and our purpose in life. Everyone’s religious experiences are different compared to others. Each religion has its do’s and the don’ts. Some religions such as Judaism don’t permit their members to eat certain foods, and they are supposed to rest on Sabbath just as Jesus purportedly did. Judaism beliefs provide its members with an identity that helps them appreciate their religion and helps them keep the Sabbath holy (Elder & Whitney, 2019). The readers should care about religious identity because it helps provide individuals with meaningful lives.
Reference
Elder, B., & Whitney, L. (2019) Religious Identity. Like Marrow in Our Bones, 52-61.