Religious Reflection Paper Samples from Senior Students for Beginners

Samples
Posted on August 30, 2022

A reflective essay is an academic assignment that requires your viewpoint. Religious Studies reflection paper samples help students understand how to structure the paper and reflect on religion. This sample is about religions, beliefs, and personal choices, and one of the good religious reflection paper samples to follow.

Religious Paper Examples

Religion is something mystique and unexplored by every person. People need to believe in something because it fills their lives with sense. According to VeryWell Mind, religion is an organized set of beliefs, systems, and practices that please the controlling force. It can be a god, a creature with superpowers, or a thing such as a totem. These creatures serve people by making their dreams come true or giving them eternal happiness after death.

Religion is usually the embodiment of the customs and traditions of a particular nation. Infoplease highlights twelve major religions of the world – Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Baha’i, Judaism, Taoism, Buddhism, Shinto, Confucianism, Sikhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Jainism. I do not think that religion is something others can impose on you. So, I decided to find out what religion meets my expectations.

I researched a lot. Each time I tried to find out more about the top religions, I realized that each religion perfectly suits a specific culture. For example, Shinto is an ideal belief for the Japanese, while Sikhism meets the interests of the Hindu people. That is why religions differ. They can have one and several gods. A god can have a distinctive image, or it can be an abstract creature that encompasses things that bring significance to our life – love, passion, care, trust, moral codes, and more.

I wish all people followed Zoroastrianism. Its main principles are to purify one’s thoughts and body. Due to that, the world will get rid of evil. Christianity and Judaism resemble their dogmas. They also have their rules to follow. The distinctive feature is that a believer has to sacrifice something or suffer to deserve the mercy of their creator and a place in heaven. Baha’i fits those who trust in the universe’s unity. Its followers believe that all the existing religions aim to convey the One God’s messages. So, all faiths deserve to exist. Taoism is not for me because it teaches people to live in peace and harmony with the universe. I want that, but I am too impulsive to harmonize and sit peacefully. Buddhism is a theory of suffering that leads a person to nirvana, and the rest of the top religions have specific features too.

I have tried to change my religion. My English-speaking friends go to different churches which have similar dogmas. My best friend follows the rules of Orthodox Christianity, and my groupmate is a Christian. When they meet, they often quarrel about which religion is the right one. I am Islamic by my father’s roots and a Christian by my mother’s roots, so I always felt disoriented. I cannot understand why representatives of Islamic culture are ready to sacrifice their lives in the name of God. If people are children of the Father, what makes Him want us to commit suicide or kill others? Christianity is monotheistic, just like Islam. My father reads the Quran, and my friends and mother read the Holy Bible.

Both books have commandments people must follow to deserve their place in paradise. However, they have distinctions. My mother’s god is Jesus, and my father’s god is Allah. Christians need to pray daily in front of icons. Islam followers have to pray five times a day. They call it the Five Pillars. Except for these distinctions, Christians and Orthodox Christians have their disputes which are very confusing.

Even though people sometimes want to adopt an alien faith, they often fail this mission. Religion is a reflection of things that are valuable for a certain nation. As a rule, it is a set of laws that make people obey. In my opinion, people themselves created religions. It does not mean that I am an atheist. Perhaps, I am still searching for something close to my vision of the world, or I am a spiritual person. I do believe that there is something or someone more powerful than us. It is hard to explain miracle samples that happen daily in different parts of the globe.

Believers define them as God’s mercy. Scientists research the cases, trying to find a logical background for things that commoners cannot comprehend. Who is right, and who is wrong? Nobody surely knows.

There are three possible ways to perceive religious studies. The first one is to be a pluralist like Zoroastrianists. In other words, every religion is right. All gods serve people and want to reward their offspring in different ways. The second option is to be an exclusivist, prioritizing one faith and denying others. The third variant is not to believe in anything. The first two versions regard saint creatures, Gods, as the founders of the universe. Atheists developed other versions. Scientists think living beings could be created by creatures from other planets, electric sparks, sea elements, or organic materials during the ice melting period. They say all scientists are atheists because they try to reveal the secrets of nature.

Consequently, people of science explain God’s plans which contradict religious postulates. I agree with this conclusion because the more I research the topic, the less I believe in both Jesus and Allah. I do not deny their existence. There could be people who had some visions or psychological problems. People trusted every word they said, and new religions appeared thanks to that.

What about me? I feel more like a spiritual person than a believer. I think that nobody appears out of nowhere. My life is significant to someone else, and everything is connected. For example, this paper can help me find the truth about myself. My teacher will report on the religious views of his students to provide statisticians with new data. The posted article will let our parents understand that representatives of one family can be different. So, we should respect each other and not impose our feelings, thoughts, and beliefs on others. A person is free to choose. Otherwise, religion will become torture. The brightest examples are the terrible fates of Giordano Bruno and Copernicus, who used logic when others denied it.

The youth face difficulties because they often have to adapt to the realities of their parents. Some of them do not have the right to choose something else. For example, Christians bring their small and socially unconscious kids to a priest who blesses them with holy water. Parents make their children believe in Jesus and are afraid of His anger. In my opinion, such individuals will never feel free. They format their mind to please their relatives and the priest, but they kill their uniqueness. That is why the best way out is to recognize one’s religion after 18 or 21. If psychologists and the government regard these numbers as the maturity ages, they must be the periods of choice for everything. Fortunately, I live in the XXI century. I am free to choose what to trust and believe in. I do not have to follow the existing template. I am free to create mine.

References:

  1. “Baha’i Faith | History, Practices, and Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/topic/Bahai-Faith. Accessed 21 Aug. 2022.
  2. Choi, Charles, and Scott Dutfield. “7 Theories on the Origin of Life.” Livescience.Com, 14 Feb. 2022, www.livescience.com/13363-7-theories-origin-life.html.
  3. “Christianity vs Orthodox Christianity.” Diffen, www.diffen.com/difference/Christianity_vs_Orthodox_Christianity. Accessed 21 Aug. 2022.
  4. “How Religion Can Improve Health.” Verywell Mind, 21 July 2022, www.verywellmind.com/religion-improves-health-2224007.
  5. Infoplease. “Major Religions of the World.” InfoPlease, 18 Jan. 2022, www.infoplease.com/culture-entertainment/religion/major-religions-world.
  6. “What Is Spirituality?” Taking Charge of Your Health & Wellbeing, www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/what-spirituality. Accessed 21 Aug. 2022.
  7. “Why Is the Naming and Blessing of a Child Important?” The Church of Jesus Christ, www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1988/12/i-have-a-question/why-is-the-naming-and-blessing-of-a-child-important?lang=eng. Accessed 21 Aug. 2022.
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