Final Paper

Religion

Today’s society is one which is very diverse. There are many ways in which the people of this day in age are different, whether that be because of race, culture, religion or something else. Religion happens to be a particular subject that sparks a great deal of debate and controversy not only in the United States, but throughout the whole world. For many, religion is something that is very essential and necessary in their lives. No matter what religion a person happens to be, or not be for that matter, it seems that each and every person is in search of a very important topic: nLooking for something to comfort them and help them find stability and reliability in life.
Throughout the world, there are many different religions, each religion believing in something different and unique. Some religions are very common, while others are vastly unheard of. In the United States, some of the most common religions are: Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim, with roughly ten percent of the United States population being Atheist or Agnostic (CIA World Fact book).
It appears that a lot of the reason why people practice a certain religion is to change the way they live and help transform their lives. Even though I do not consider myself to be a very religious person, I do however consider myself to be a Protestant Christian. I grew up in the Methodist church, my parents both being Methodists and believing in the Christian faith as well. I certainly did not go to church every day, not even every Sunday. I never lived exactly by what the Bible said or anything of that sort, in fact I rarely remember ever praying or talking much about God in my household. Be that as it may, I feel that it is the idea of having God in a person’s life that is far important. I think that because of that fact that I grew up with Christian values I was able to better understand and grasp the meaning of what is important in life. Through my parents and through the church, the upbringing that I had helped me be able to make better decisions and choices throughout my nineteen years of life.
For me, I feel that as a Christian, I am able to make better decisions. Growing up, I was raised to be a person that held strong morals and values. I believe that because of the way in which I was brought up, I am a good person. While my religion has been an important part of my morals and values, there are even more ways in which religion has helped me throughout my life.
As a young child, I remember thinking to myself that God really was not very important. I remember believing in him, but only because that was what I was brought up to do. I can look back on my childhood and clearly remember thinking and saying to myself “What’s the point in believing in God anyways, it doesn’t really seem like there is a God at all.” As I grew older and more mature however, events that took place throughout my life helped me realized that there was a point and a reason for believing in the idea of God. Unfortunately, it took some unfortunate and heartbreaking events for me to actually realiz this.
The summer before my freshman year of high school, my family and I went through some very difficult times. In June of that summer, my cousin Travis passed away while serving for the United States Marine Corps. He died at only nineteen years of age. The death of Travis was an occurrence that was very devastating for everyone who know him. Travis was the type of person that got along with everyone and always tried to put others first. I really do not think that there was a person who did not like him, he was just that special. So when everyone heard word of his untimely death, everyone was shocked and saddened.
When someone dies, especially a person who is young, people are in a great deal of grief. It took a lot to come to terms with his death, but one of the ways in which my family was able to cope with it was because of our faith in god. We know that everything happens for a reason, even though we found it hard to understand what that reason really is at the time. More importantly, we now know that Travis is in a better place, watching over us all.
As time went by after the death of my cousin, I soon found it easier and easier each day to deal with the loss of Travis. He and I very close, so there were many days that I struggled through and found it hard to get by, but I credit my faith in God for giving me the strength to do just that. After I had begun healing, I remember looking at other people, who were close to Travis just as I had been, but were still having a difficult time grieving and handling their loss. Many of those who had a more difficult time were those who did not have a God to believe in and give them hope.
All in all, each and every person is entitled to their own beliefs. For some, those beliefs belong to the bible, while others do not believe in any other higher power. From that higher power, people are able to transform their lives and live life in a better, less selfish way. No matter what however, it seems imperative that a person have some sort of guidelines or rules for which they hold their beliefs in how to live their lives and uphold their ideas, morals, and values.