Growing up with little religious influence, I feel as though I have had the ability to recognize the beneficial aspects of many religions. Although disagreements over religion influence many conflicts and war, it is also the power that holds many groups together for centuries.   Having never been told what I should believe, or who I should say my prayers to, I began to slowly develop my own opinions. I think that this has been both a burden and a freedom. I remember being ten years old and begging my mom, “Please, please, please, can we just be Catholic?” I wanted simple. I wanted to be able to go to church on Sunday with my friends and know which guy walked on water and which one parted the seas.

My mom considers herself a Unitarian Universalist, which, to a young child, was not a simple enough answer. Unitarians believe in an individual’s search for religious and spiritual meaning. Being a young kid, I didn’t have a whole lot of individual opinion on my spiritual/religious endeavors. Having only the influence of a generally inactive Unitarian to guide my religious journey, I was pretty lost. I believe that if I had grown up in a religious home, I would have shut myself off from all the potential beliefs I could have, or not have. Although I have not come to a distinct conclusion on my personal religious and spiritual beliefs, I have discovered aspects of certain religions I agree with wholeheartedly.

A religion that I admire, and believe has been portrayed in an inaccurate light, is Buddhism. Before researching the beliefs and basis for the religion, I could only correlate it in my mind with the Monks in Bulletproof Monk or slightly pretentious hipsters. Although it is only a fraction of the worldwide population, there are an estimated 3,000,000 Buddhists living in the United States; too many to only consist of hipsters and monks. It would take a novel to summarize all the interesting and significant aspects of the Buddhist religion, so I will highlight some of my personal favorites. I think that a unique part of Buddhism is Dukkha, a term closely translated to ‘suffering’ or ‘pain.’ This term is one of the Four Noble Truths, stating that a fundamental component of being alive is suffering. Another Buddhist term I correlate well with is Anatta. This is one of the “three marks of existence” and claims that oneself is never stagnant, always changing. These theories may appear simple, but I think their placement in Buddhism contrast that of many other religions. I think that Buddhism is wildly underrated and has developed an ill-fitting reputation in present-day society.    

The second religion I have found an interesting connection with is Islam. I found that my relationship with this religion came as the most of a shock to me. Islam has been characterized in America, and more specifically through the news networks, as an entirely violent religion. I disagree with this characterization, although there are definitely aspects of Islam, and every religion, that I disapprove of. I thought the more positive parts of the Muslim lifestyle were extremely captivating. As my IB History of Europe & the Middle East class discussed, there are several contrasts between Islam and many other religions. A contrast that I noticed as particularly interesting was the structure required for Muslims: there are no intensely strict guidelines in the Islam religion due to the belief that everyone involved in the religion is doing it for the sake of their own devotion. It is also relatively easy to become a Muslim, requiring only a simple prayer to join and the promise to fulfill the Five Pillars of Islam.

I think the beginning of my personal religious investigation has helped me begin to determine what I believe, and what I don’t. There are many aspects of several religions that I have pieced together as significant in my life, yet I still have not found a religion that fits. I believe that there are religious people, spiritual people, and a combination of both. I think that while religion brings comfort, and spirituality brings freedom, there is a balance of both. I believe that for anyone who doesn’t have an understanding of their religious beliefs, and even for those who do, acknowledging and understanding other religions is vital in getting to the root of the conflicts that face us on a daily basis. There are many wars and conflicts that are caused by disagreements over religion. If people are given the chance to open themselves up to the ideas of other religions, many of these conflicts could be prevented.