Belief System

Belief System

Religion is commonly defined as a group of beliefs concerning the supernatural, sacred, or divine, and the moral codes, practices, values, institutions and rituals associated with such beliefs (Wikipedia, 2006). Most of the major religions have evolved over the centuries into what they are today. In many cultures and times, religion has been the basic foundation of life, permeating all aspects of human existence (Fisher, 2002). Religion is passed on from generation to generation. My religious beliefs were passed on from my relatives on my mother's side. My family has believed in the Catholic faith for many generations. Since I grew up in the Catholic faith I went to Catholic schools my entire childhood. My personal experiences and the Catholic faith made me into the person I am today. Without a religious upbringing I feel that there would have been something missing in my life.

Since I grew up in the Catholic faith, I understand that not everyone has the same religious beliefs that my religion teaches. The way a person is raised, has an impact on their religious beliefs. Your belief system is the actual set of precepts from which you live your daily life, those that govern your thoughts, words, and actions (Woods, 2006). Since, I had religion classes through out my school years I have been taught to accept other people's religious beliefs. Even my parents have taught me to look at a person's culture and beliefs to gain a better understanding of their point of view. With the understanding of others religious beliefs and cultures it has allowed me to deal with others in a fair and equal manner. Even though I have had some difficult time with others I remember how I was raised and it has helped me through those difficult times.

There are benefits and disadvantages of believing in the Catholic faith. A benefit of believing in the Catholic faith is that God will forgive you for your sins as long as you repent and are truly sorry for acts that you have committed. Catholics believe in a heaven and hell, which is an advantage and a disadvantage. As an advantage when a person dies, according to the Catholic religion, they will go to heaven as long as they followed a good Christian life. On the other hand, it is a disadvantage because there are so many rules and teaching that a person must follow that it is very difficult for a person to follow the rules and teachings. Through the years, I have felt that as long as a person is attempting to be a good Christian, God will allow them to enter heaven after they die. Each religion has advantages and disadvantages. The biggest advantage that all religion shares is that some day a person of faith will go to a better place after their death.

Every religion has many different traditions. Some of what people think are religious traditions are not. Since religions beliefs have been around for such an extended period of time things change from being a truly religious tradition to one that people believe is a tradition. Religious days are a good example of a day that might have started a religious day and now has turned into something else. Christmas is a good example. Every religion has days that are holy to their religion. Some of these days are the same but are celebrated differently. On October 3rd or 4th, the Islamic religion celebrates the first day of Ramadan. On October 31st the Protestants and Lutherans celebrate Reformation Day; also on that Day the Hindus begin to celebrate Deepavali. On November 1st, the Catholics, Protestants, and Lutherans celebrate All Saints Day. These examples are religious holidays that are filled with traditions, but also happen around the same time of the year. The Catholic religion is full of traditions. In April of 2005 the Catholic Church elected a new pope. The election was filled with many traditions. When it was time to elect the new pope the cardinals gathered in the Sistine Chapel. The cardinals are the highest priest in the Catholic religion. Each cardinal casts a ballot. Each time an unsuccessful pair of ballots is completed a chemical