By: Sarah Gomez, Staff Writer
College is the time in which you find yourself; you shape our beliefs and discover who you are going to be from now on. That being said, finding your own path is not easy and can oftentimes feel intimidating. All the possibilities and unfamiliarity can make it feel impossible to explore something new and find what is right for you, and though there is no way to know everything before starting your journey, here is a place to start.
Oftentimes when someone is unsure of what to believe in they identify as an agnostic. An agnostic is someone who cannot say if there is a god or not. This kind of person is not like an atheist, who does not believe there is a god, but is instead neutral to the debate. If you are unsure of whether or not you believe in a god(s), being an agnostic may be the path for you. In a similar way, if you do not believe in religion you can identify as an atheist.
Religions that you can identify with are plentiful and though I know I am not touching every one, here a few examples of religions you may find resonate. Some of the most practiced religions include Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. In addition to these, I would also like to further discuss spirituality and how spirituality is different from religion but still available to you.
Buddhism can be classified as both a religion and a philosophy. The religion centers itself around the four noble truths that define the universe. These truths are that existence is suffering, suffering has a cause, you can reach a state of no longer suffering, and there is a path to reach that state. One of the main teachings that come from Buddhism is that everything is constantly changing. Many people associate Buddhism with the idea of reincarnation and karma, and though these are key beliefs for Buddhists, the societal portrayal of these beliefs is not entirely accurate. Buddhists believe in karma, but in their religion, karma is a consequence of an intentional decision, thus meaning accidentally doing someone wrong will not hurt you but knowingly doing wrong will. Reincarnation is also often misconstrued as being a cycle that ends when you reach a certain point, however that is not necessarily true according to who you ask. Some individuals believe the cycle will always continue, that reaching the point of nirvana does not remove you from the cycle, but instead put you at peace with the cycle. Other descriptions of nirvana describe it as no longer being reborn into the cycle and being able to instead see the reality of the world.
Christianity is another major religion that may be well known but not entirely understood. The main beliefs of Christianity revolve around the bible and the teachings of Jesus Christ, a Jew. The main teaching of this religious figure is to love one another. Though there have been many different interpretations of the bible between different sections of the religion, the main idea remains the same. The different sections of the religion lead to many different conflicting ideas and practices, allowing more room for you to find one that is most in line with your beliefs. One of the most structured branches of this religion is Catholicism; Catholics follow a strict celebration of Sunday mass with additional celebrations of different stages of Jesus Christ’s life. A less strict branch of the religion can often be found in Christian churches with no further distinction; these types of churches have regular Sunday masses and additional masses on holidays, but lack certain formalities required by the catholic branch.
Islam has been misconstrued over time and is often given a bad reputation by the media, despite being remarkably similar to other religions. Their sacred book even goes as far as to say that Jesus is the messiah, a belief shared with Christians. The central beliefs of the religion can be broken down into 5 major pillars: their profession of faith, prayer, alms, fasting, and pilgrimage. Though the idea of faith and prayer are some expected keystones, alms is much more important than most may think. Charity is a major part of the religion and giving to the poor is prioritized. A usual idea that makes people turn away from Islam is the idea of how women are treated. On the contrary, women are held at a high regard and are seen as equals to men. In regard to how Muslim women should dress, they are told to simply dress modestly, something that can have various interpretations depending on the individual and how they practice.
Judaism is the last of the major religions we will discuss, being the oldest of the Abrahamic religions. The major points that Jewish people believe in are that there is one god, that god is transcendent and has a covenant with their people. The center idea being simply to be a good person. Similar to Christianity, there are several different sects of Judaism that all believe slightly different things and practice their religion in slightly different ways. One of the most known myths about Judaism is that you must be born into it in order to be a true follower, while this is the usual way people come into the religion, you may be adopted into the religion despite being born into a different faith. One final misconception is that the Jewish people do not believe in the messiah, but this could not be any less true. The Jewish people are still waiting for their messiah and believe Jesus Christ was not the messiah because he was killed, which they believed would not happen to the one true messiah.
In addition to religion, you could also practice spirituality to celebrate yourself and your soul outside of material things. Spirituality is one of the most personal ways to celebrate different aspects of yourself and so is more flexible. You may choose to take time for self-care, meditation, or journaling and reflecting on yourself and life. One of the biggest misconceptions about spirituality is that it is a practice that takes the place of religion. This is not true, as spirituality can be done in conjunction with religion in order to strengthen the personal connection between an individual and whatever god they may believe in.
No matter how you choose to worship or if you don’t at all, it is a personal journey that can be taken by you. Exploring different beliefs can not only change your mind on what you may choose to believe in, but also educate you on how different religions work and operate. Religion is a personal journey and it all happens for each individual in their own time.