Religion
Hello I am Wes (aka heavnbound) and I am the Co-Liason of the Heritage Community Center. I have picked the topic of religion because of my own beliefs and faith. However, I also understand that there are many faiths and even some people who do not believe in any God and so to be fair, my intentions with this page and this column is to give everyone a brief look at all religious denominations. Every three months as this coulmn is updated, I will be "featuring" a different denomination or form of religion. So if your particular faith is not here this month, check back and it might be next time the page is updated!
The first thing I think we should do is to define just what a religion is. This can be a difficult thing since religion can mean different things to different people. And such a intangible thing is hard to describe or nail down in hard and fast terms. Here is my definition of religion (for what it's worth):
Religion is the belief in some higher power/being who is able to control the events of our lives, guide our spirit/soul on how we should live, and who, by nature, gives believers common rules, laws, beliefs, or ideas and lends itself to dedication and worship. This dedication and worship takes the form of certain rituals, practices, and observances designed to praise, honor, and celebrate the existence of that higher power/being. Religion binds humans culturally and spiritually and justifies our actions and thoughts, as a guideline for life and a preparation for or explanation of our death. Religion is the values a particular group shares that create unity and put faith into practice. This faith explains the past and gives hope for the present or future. Religion gives us a path to follow. It's something we can learn from and use for our future. It gives us hope and helps us to know the "ground rules" for life so that people with common morals can come together to live as we perceive the higher being would want.While a definition of religion may prove elusive, no one can doubt the importance of religion in today's society. Everyone's life is touched to one degree or another by religion. Even the most steadfast Atheist cannot escape the fact that today's society holds a place close to it's heart for religious doctrine of some sort. If you are not religious, you know someone who is. And their values to one degree or another affect you. Religion can be found in the schools (despite the best efforts of some of our political powers), it can be found in TV and movies, it can be found on the streets and even in the grocery stores (have you ever seen Kosher foods in the grocery stores?)
Yes religion is a hard thing to escape because it literally permeates every facet of our lives. The talk shows are filled with people claiming to "have seen the other side" which brings up the issue of "Is There Life After Death?". There are lots of advertisements on the TV and in magazines for "Fortunetellers" or "Psychics" and a myriad of other forms of religious advertising. And with this bombardment comes a very real dillema...
This is the hard part of religion. There are so many different denominations and sub-categories to choose from one can easily get confused as to which to choose. Or if you have found a religion that you can get behind, the multitude of choices and the constant exposure to them can, if one is not alert, cause you to doubt your own convictions and start questioning if you are right in your beliefs. And I wish I could offer you some sound advice on how to deal with this problem, but then, who's to say that I am right too? I can only believe what I believe and so must you. But I can offer you some information and show you a glimpse into some of the doctrines and beliefs of each denomination and perhaps in doing so, you will find whatever it is you are looking for. And if you should be so inclined, you are always welcome to stop by my website http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Lake/8028 and see how I feel about religion and what I have chosen to believe.
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