Why talk about religion?

Well, the main reason that I want to talk about religion is simply because I am curious about it. However, it goes far beyond that. I’ve studied different religions for about a year now, but that by no means makes me an expert on the subject. It simply leaves me with a general idea of the faiths that I have read about; their ideas, some of their practices, and their basic structure. Since beginning this observation of religions, I’ve realized that learning about the different elements of religious belief truly forces you to think outside the box, even requiring you to set aside your own perceptions about the reality of life and the self-evident truths that you subscribe to, in order to understand those of another.

I find religions fascinating. Personally and intellectually, I feel that this is the most relevant, and helpful topic to me right now. Although I have other interests, religion is so fruitfully diverse, and with so many wide-ranging sectors within each, I believe that it makes for some immensely intriguing writing pieces. Reading a multitude of religious writings has, and will continue to help me formulate my own opinions about my faith and my personal truth.  I know that it does for many others as well. You might be surprised the personal growth that can come from looking into the outlooks of others. I  know I was. I was certainly pretty shocked by this when I showed up for a religion course. I realized immediately just how interesting religion can be.

As humans, we are all too conscious of those things that challenge and threaten to destroy our deepest commitments and values-things such as moral failure, tragedy, inexplicable evil, and death itself. These realities can fill us with dread and terror, in part because they lie outside our ability to control. The sociologist Thomas O’Dea has spoken of religion as a response to three fundamental features of human existence: uncertainty, powerlessness, and scarcity. Religion is rooted, certainly, in a wider range of human experience and emotion than these, including such positive experiences as wonder, trust, love, and joy. But O’Dea is correct as far as he goes. The brute facts of our existence do bring us face to face with questions about which our normal practical techniques and scientific know-how are powerless to provide answers or solutions. (Livingston)

In terms of how I intend to talk about religion, I want everyone to know that I will go about this blog with this rationale in mind: I hope that along the way I will squash a few judgements that others might maintain about certain practices, or people. While that isn’t necessarily my main objective, I feel that in order to be respected in an academic community, one must be open-minded and go about their critiques with as much finesse as possible. It is especially important to go about writing about religions, and having discussions about them with a great deal of consideration, as these are other people’s faiths. Faiths, which they feel very strongly about, and with which they are extremely connected to personally.

During the course of this blog, I may have posts in which the topic leans more toward talking about Zen Buddhism than other topics. That is simply because last year I went to a Buddhist temple in the area and meditated. Before I meditated, I expected that I would not be able to achieve the results that others described so vividly, but instead fall asleep, or tear from overwhelming stress. After I experienced it for myself, I realized that I felt a deep sort of relief, as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Another reason why I might pursue writing about my experience pursuing a deeper understanding of Zen Buddhism more than other topics within different religions, is because I am very intrigued by the idea that if you can change your mind, then you can change your life.

Sarah

Works Cited:

Livingston, James C. Anatomy of The Sacred: An Introduction to Religion. Upper Saddle River: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2009. Print.