Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reflection - Essay Example As McClay (2012) has pointed out that religion is anchored on beliefs, I strongly believe in the existence of a Supreme Deity guiding various religious communities, despite the fact that no person has ever seen or spoken directly with Him. I believe in the religious concept that there is a supernatural entity that dictates the human destiny of any religious community. Although, most of religious communities are composed of people with divergent opinions and levels of belief in the existence of their Supreme Deity, I strongly believe that by practicing the same religion, people share more things in common than what separates them. Whether a religious community is composed of neighbors who worship in different ways or members of a smaller group of people neighboring one another in the pursuit of common religious goals such as monastery, I believe that members of a religious community must mingle with individuals with different philosophies and appreciate their religious inclinations as a yardstick for measuring righteousness (Drape, & Nichols, 2013). I believe in religious mythologies because they tend to offer answers to important questions whose solutions may not be readily available. Mythologies usually provide reasons behind various religion values and activities such as marriage rituals, morality, spirituality, and human experience. Despite the fact that mere myths often have little if any weight, Vickers (2012) argued that mythologies grounded on religious values help to elaborate the scriptures and emphasize their importance. From the mythical story of David versus Goliath, for instance, as a Christian I believe that God can give extraordinary strength to individuals who are deemed as too weak to confront major challenges in life. Rituals are an important aspect of religion. I believe they bring people closer to the supernatural being. Despite the existence of different religious rituals of religion, most important ones are applicable across religions. For instance, attending sacred places for purposes of worship, installation of the clergy, baptism, communion, and sacraments among others are important rituals that happen across religions (Drape, & Nichols, 2013). These common rituals, according to me, serve as constant reminders of the faithful to remain steadfast in the service of the Supreme Deity. Most of the rituals are accompanied by messages urging the adherents to follow religious ethics in order to remain moral in the treatment of humanity. Emotional experience, I believe, is common in religious teachings and practice (Vickers, 2012). For example, a former fornicator who suffers from a terminal illness caused by his or her sins may have an episode of emotional experience when he or she consciously repents. Similarly, an individual who empathises with starving people could have emotional experience of seeing them transform from a hungry, dejected community to a satisfied, smiling one. I concur with Drape and Nichols (2013) on the sacredness of places of worship and other material expressions of religious loyalty. Materials such as the Holy Bible, and Quran, offerings, the altar, church and mosque are some of the items of worship that are believed to be sacred. In light of these evaluations, I strongly believe that the eight elements of religion are all important and none is more important than the other.