Justin Smetters

2-3-04

Prof Sienkewicz

ISSI

Personal Reflection on Religion

            I stated before that religion is something that escapes me. In my last paper I said that I do not have a strong religious background. Well it is true that I do not agree with organized religion it does not mean I am an atheist. I do believe that someone or something created us. The world and galaxy for that matter is to complex to happen by chance. The conditions needed to support life and sustained life is truly billion to one odds. With that said I also believe that the galaxy would be a huge waste of space if no other planet had life, but that is another paper entirely. God, Allah, Higher Power, etc. all serve some of the same purposes. Books, stories, and the morality handed down with these epics are suppose to teach us (the human race) a way to better ourselves. These religions at the very heart try to teach us understanding and kindness are truly the best way to get to a blessed afterlife. But as we see on TV on the radio, religious fundamentalist seem to forget that part. That is where I feel that believe, I have always tried to be a philanthropist and most likely always will. I feel that is how I contribute to society at large which could be the main reason why I want to teach because I have an overbearing urge to help it is my religion in a sense. Sometimes I am focused on that I lose track on other things that are important. I could not tell you where I received this need to help, I just have. Now I am forced

to look at my religion at a critical way and now I ask myself do I do this because I feel that I have justify my existence because I do not have a formal faith based

religion. Hard to say, I feel no need to go to church I feel that I can be a good person and make into afterlife if one does exist.

            Another belief I have is in the idea or afterlife. I believe their must be one. I simply refuse to believe that one is truly gone forever. One’s spirit outlasts one’s body I believe. I do not know if there is a gate with Saint Peter, reincarnation, Valhalla, or Hell or the river Styx. But I refused to believe I just do not exist. I have had an instance of no afterlife scare me. It was my freshman year in October I lay awake as the rain hit the window. I had no idea why I was thinking about death at that time, but I start to question really for the first time if there is an afterlife. I soon was scared to death to think about that fact that I might never exist again, that I fade away. From that point I choose to believe in an afterlife because the thought of never existing scares me. So I wonder is that what religion is about. One wants to believe because thinking about the answers that might be scary. That would explain why people do not want to change their beliefs, because their whole world is based off of it.