| Product: |
Religion |
| Date: |
08.12.06 (115 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Gives people faith in something
Disadvantages: Male dominated, can cause problems eg. religious cults
I've never been a religious person, neither have my family, in fact I hardly know any religious people at all. I wouldn't say religion is an essential part of society, as many people manage without it.
People can believe what they want to, they have choice to be religious or not. My reason for not being religious is that there are many things I just don't agree with when it comes to religion, things that make me feel uncomfortable about being religious. That isn't to say I don't agree with other people being religious.
There are a lot of things that, for example Christians believe, or the Bible says on topics such as abortion that I don't agree with. As well as this, I could never join a religion that is purely male dominated, and there isn't a religion in existance which isn't. I've also been put off by hearing about various, dangerous religious cults, although these aren't only due to religions.
I've also been put off Christianity due to things that happen in school. I'm not talking about specific religious schools. If parents send their children to a Catholic school because they want to bring them up as Catholics, then that's a different matter. However, I go to a school, and went to primary schools, which are supposed to be multi cultural.
In my first primary school, I was told when I was about 6 that God hear's all your thoughts. For a 6 year old from a non-religious family, I found this pretty scary. I started worrying about what I was thinking because I really believed that God could hear it. I also worried about what my family were thinking, and I told my parents what our teacher had told the class. They simply told me that this was what the teacher believed, and other religious people, and that just because they believed it, didn't mean I had to, or that it was true. Another teacher, a couple of years later, talked to the class about how we should all pray and than God for what we had. At this point, I actually considered myself a Christian because I had heard so much in school about how we should respect God etc. I thought I had to be religious, again my parents assured me that this wasn't true.
A few years on from then and I was pretty sure I would never join a religion. It still worries me that in my second primary school all children must say the Lord's Prayer at assemblies, and that a few months ago I was involved in a prize giving ceremony where everyone had to stand up and sing a hymm. I got away with staying seated and quiet, since I was behind people. It was a bit of a shambles anyway, since not many people knew the song.
I think it's ok to do this now and again in schools like mine, so that children can learn about Christianity, but only learn about it, and then decide later on if they want to join the religion, and not feel obligated to become Christian because teachers tell them they have to.
It's good that nowadays Religous Education teaches children about all different religions, but maybe there needs to be more of this.
Many Christians were angry over the da Vinci Code book and films because of allegations it makes about Christianity. The way I see it is that you can't prove what is said in the da Vinci Code any more than you can prove what is said in the Bible. Whatever people choose to believe is up to them - and these angry Christians need to realise this. Because that's what religion is: a belief. A belief in something which hasn't been proven.
Which is why nobody, especially young children from a non-religious background, should be pressurised into becoming religious. It's ok to encourage people, but not force them.
My experiences in primary school have been enough to put me off, never mind all the other things I don't agree with. I'm sure other people will feel the same way - is that really what religion needs?
Summary: Whether or not you're a religious person is your choice alone - no-one should be pressurised
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