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How much does religion shape our lives...from the earliest personal beginnings of our religious experiences to the institutions religion shapes, such as governments...how much does religion influence us on a daily basis?
How might someone from outside the Christian religion come to understand that Christianity has "few gods and great violence. But good schools"?
An interesting outsider's view of the crucifixion story -- great analogy used to describe the wonderful absurdity of God's sacrifice of Jesus when filtered through the human mind.
Quite an engaging conversion story...but not actually a conversion...more of a religious addition. Do you think it possible to be Hindu and Christian simultaneously? How does Pi pull this off?
19 comments:
Religion proves to shape our lives from the moment we could understand the idea. Whether coming from a Christian family, or a Hindu one, your religion subliminally shapes certain things about you. For example, a Christian may view Church differently than other religions. Your basic "what is right and what is wrong" ideals are developed throughout indulgence in religion. Someone from outside the Christian religion may come to understand that the religion has "few gods and great violence" because Christianity has strayed from its original roots. Christians believe in salvation through Jesus Christ (few gods) but often pursue their actions through the discrimination of others, and other religions (great violence). All in all, I believe that religion is pursued differently by each person, to benefit the beholder.
As “someone from outside the Christian religion,” I have been confronted with and puzzled by some of the ideas that Pi struggled with, also. I wasn’t aware of the crucifixion until an overzealous friend filled me in, and left me quite confused, which I suppose puts me in the same boat as Pi (no pun intended). However, coming from the same Judeo-Christian upbringing made it easier for me to consolidate this story into my beliefs, at least more so than Pi. I believe that all religions try to accomplish the same thing: provide guidelines to a moral and good life, and provide hope and comfort in death. In a way, all religions are cousins, and this view would make it much easier for Pi to choose multiple religions to satisfy his own personal views on life and death. Obviously, many people didn’t agree with Pi, but religion is a deeply personal belief that should not be subject to the scrutiny of society (thus, our first amendment).
The violence comment stands on its own – there is no denying the intolerance many early (although many modern) Christians felt towards other religions, resulting, among others, in the Crusades and the Inquisition. Perhaps the message of Pi’s religious preferences is that he is able to reconcile all of the differences of the religions while so many others before him, throughout history, have been unable to.
I don't think it is possible to "be" both Hindu and Christian simultaneously, that is in the sense that we think of when someone says, "I am a Christian" or, "I am Islamic" etc., etc. I feel that Pi "pulls this off" by not holding biases and coming to really understand and truly appreciate and feel what these religions are about.
In reference to "few gods, great violence. But good schools" I think has to do with the basics that are common knowledge to nearly everyone, Christian or not. It is a monotheistic religion with much emphasis placed on not having other gods or false idols. Great violence would obviously be a reference to all of Christian history, from the death of the Son, to the crusades, to the persecution of today. Finally the "good schools" being the oh-so well-known private schools that have such reputations of giving the best educations (and I'm sure much also to do with politics!)
Religion shapes everyone’s life a great deal. Some may argue that morals are religious footprints. The United States of America was founded on religion. You see churches of all different kinds around every corner. Even if one doesn’t grow up in a religious household, unless they’ve been hiding under a rock their whole life, they’ve been impacted by religion; religion is such a huge part in so many people’s lives, whether it is in how they live their life or where they will end up after it expires.
Most people are at least somewhat religious, being that they believe in a God and follow an organized religion. They may go to church once or twice a week, they may pray on an everyday basis, or at least talk to God (same thing?). Every day, everyone must make decisions. Maybe, consciously or subconsciously, one might think of their God to help make their choice.
Christianity does in fact, have only one God. However, Jesus, the son of God, may be confused as a God himself even though he isn’t by Christian definition. Christians are very confident people in that they strongly believe in their religion. (Disclaimer: These next few sentences may have been tainted by my own beliefs and views. Please, do not take offense.) Christianity’s focus is death- what will happen after you die. Will you be welcomed into God’s warm embrace or will you be shunned to the cold, dark depths of Hell? The Ten Commandments tell you how to live your life so that when you die, you will have a chance at going to Heaven. It’s all about death. Death scares humans; therefore, Christianity is based off of fear. (I apologize if this offends anyone; that is not my intention at all.) However, Christianity is also a religion of caring and sharing; follow Jesus’ example. When you combine irrational fear with the need to give, you get faithful, loyal Christians trying to convert the world to their practice. As a result, you get war. I’m sure violence was not anyone’s goal, but things happen. People take things too far; they push a little too hard.
Christian schools are good schools- I’m not 100% sure why. Maybe because Christian beliefs are what America was founded on and naturally, they were embedded into our schools. Because Christianity is so popular, the churches have enough money to create such great schools. There are Christian schools everywhere- Look at Toledo, for instance. St. Francis, St. Ursula, St. Johns… the list is endless.
And lastly, I think Pi is able to pull of Christianity and Hinduism because Christianity focuses on death while Hinduism focuses on life. In an odd way, because they are so different, they don’t overlap and contradict each other.
I think it depends on the person to see how much religion affects their life. It just depends on how much a person takes his or her religion seriously. I’ve seen people call themselves Christians but they don’t act like Christians. They only go to church on Easter and Christmas. They don’t follow what the Bible says. On the other hand I’ve seen Christians that take their faith seriously. They always try to do the right thing. They try to do what the Bible says. So if it is a person that doesn’t take their faith seriously, I would have to say that religion wouldn’t affect them that much but if they do then religion would play a big life in their role.
Outsiders of Christianity may view Christianity as a religion with few gods because there is only one God in Christianity. So compared to Hindu there is really little gods. Outsiders might also see that there was a lot of violence in the religion because of the Crusades. In the Crusades the Christians and the Muslims battled each other for the Holy Lands. Then for the good schools outsiders see is because that many of the good colleges like Yale were first established to train Christians.
I don’t think it is possible that someone can be Hindu and Christian. In the Bible it says that “you should have no other Gods before me.” This already says that it is not possible. Also from the story all three of the religious leaders were not happy with Pi being with another faith while still having their faith. Pi gets away with this by saying all he wants to do is worship and love God.
Religion shapes our lives tremendously. It is part of how we are brought up and how we are brought up defines who we are. There is supposed to be separation between church and government, but when you have people in government who are religious and they believe in the foundations that their religion has taught them, it is a part of that person, not part of a religion. And that person has every right to input what they believe into government. Of course there are times when compromise is necessary, but we won’t get into that. I believe that Pi did pull off being two religions. In my experience, a person does not agree with everything in their religion. So because of that Pi could take different parts of each religion he liked and believe in a religion that’s all his own, because religion is a very personal experience.
The few gods refers to how there is only one God and not to worship any other besides Him. Christians have a very violent history. Then there are good schools. I went to a Catholic elementary school and I feel like they are very misjudged. First off, just by reading the comments, just because it is a private school does not mean they don’t have money problems. They have just as many problems as a public school does. These schools are more than an education; they are about the growth of a person. By not having to fallow state guidelines the school has more of an opportunity to foster imagination and the growth of ideas. Yes we are taught our faith, but I find it less “cookie-cutter” than public schools. In public schools we are told what to think, at a private school I was taught what others think then left to build my own opinion on that.
Religion shapes most everything. Our entire country is built on the Christian values of our founders. Because of this, we are constantly affected by religion.
Those outside views that Pi has about the Christian religion stem from the fact that Christians believe in one God and have a history of many wars. Many schools are Christian and they are known to be very good. Pi has experience with this, so that is where his views of that particular religion come from.
I believe that it is possible to be Hindu and Christian simultaneously because Pi states that he only wants to love God. That is the basis of Christianity, believing in only the one true God.
Religion is one of the greatest factors that changes peoples lives. Religion has made me the person I am today. It shapes our lives by giving people something to have hope for and a source to create joy and happiness. Religion gives people a reason for living. Religion influences me on a daily base because it shows me how I, as well as others, are to live our lives and it influences people to live their life in a certain way and for God.
People from outside the Chrisitan religion think and believe that all christians should be perfect and little do they know that christians make mistakes. They may not be perfect but they try to live through God as best as they can. The best way for an outsider to understand the religion is to take part in the religion and get invloved to understand how Christianity works and how much it can change one's life and soul.
I do think it is possible to be a Hindu and Chrisitan at the same time, I just question about how dedicated and understanding the person can be toward each religion. They are very similar but very different at the same time. For example, both religions believe in that all people are equal and that we are all brothers. I think it was very interesting that Pi was able to pull off believing and practicing two religions. He is a very quite boy and he kept it to himself. He was very sneaky about it, which made it easy to get by his parents and other adults. These two religions are very similar in practices and morals that it was easy for Pi to understand both religions.
Religion is faith. Faith in a supernatural being. Faith in something way bigger than oneself and the belief that beyond Earth and life, there is something much bigger and much better. Since religion requires so much faith, we base our lives on the basic principles and doctrines of certain religions. Religion is the foundation on which we base our decisions upon, especially if you are active in the practice of your religion. For example, if you notice the split between Republicans and Democrats, there are many religious disagreements between the two political parties. Things that all end up going back to the basic principles of a specific religion. Religion affects the way people make their decisions in not only the government, but every day life. For example, myself being a Christian, I think about what is expected of me as a practicing Christian and what the consequences of going against my faith would be before making a decision, even if it is something little. Religion influences us on a daily basis because all around us are unique individuals, all belonging to a different faith. Every day we are faced with religion, and sometimes it is hard to take the thoughts and actions of someone who does not believe what we do; however, through facing these daily interactions, we are taught to become respectful, kind and tolerant of all people and all beliefs, even if they are not our own.
As for being a Hindu and an Christian, I do not think that is possible. As Christianity only has one God, Hindus have many. I do not see at all where those two religions could mesh together. That is just a personal opinion coming from a dedicated Christian.
Wow, Pi was lucky to see that place up close and personal. Religion, though, influences everyone, no matter what your belief may be. Sunday will always have a bit of that holy connotation to it. "In God we trust" is written on our currency. Many of our laws and norms regarding murder, theft, adultery and so forth are based on the Ten Commandments. Discrimination against homosexuals stems from the fact that the Bible states that same-sex relationships are wrong. Our Constitution was formed by religious government leaders, and it's kind of easy to see that. Plus, the entirety of our morals basically comes from what was said to be right and wrong in the Bible and other religious texts.
The hills look absolutely breathtaking! Religion, whichever one a person follows, shapes our live by shaping not only our behavior but the behavior of people around us it teaches the right and wrong according to the main book or scroll. Religion influences the basic decision making of most people, for example a person may take time to be a Good Samaritan and help an elderly person with groceries or another task simply because the bible teaches them to be selfless and help everyone. If a person simply looks at the very basics of Christianity it appears to be a big story about a lot of hardships and sacrifice with no real meaning, but the schools teach the importance of following the behavior Christianity teaches them. I agree I found myself very intrigued by the way he compared the crucifixion story to what it would sound like if it was happening to him. He pulls it off by being accepting of both religions he may not understand everything from the religions but he knows that there is merit to both and he isn’t closed minded.
Religion plays a tremendous part in shaping our lives. The beliefs and values of whatever religion your family belongs to become your beliefs and values because that was how you were brought up. A child in Christian household would have all of the beliefs and values of the Christian religion because the child was raised to believe that way. The child wouldn't know anything different. A persons morals are also dependent on their religion.
I thought that the description of the Christian religion, that is was a religion with "few gods and great violence," was pretty funny. It's also accurate. Christian do have few gods and a reputation for violence. Some Christians try to shove their religion down others throats and that tends to cause disputes. Those types of Christians have created that reputation.
For most people, religion shapes our lives from the second we are born. Your parent’s religion shapes the ways that they raise you and what they teach you. Governments throughout the world are based on the religion of that country. Even here, in the United States, where there is a separation of church and state religion still affected the way our government was created.
An outsider of the Christian religion might see it as “few gods and great violence. But good schools” because the Christian religion has only one God. Great Violence is very evident in the Christian history, even from the very beginning with the death on a cross. Good schools refers to the private, Christian schools that have the reputation of giving a better education.
Religion in a sense is hereditary. From a young age, I was brought up Catholic. I went to a Catholic grade school and was raised in a Catholic home. This religious background shaped the way I lived from the moment I was baptised at the age of 2 months. I was expected to memorize prayers, participate in all the commandments my age allowed and study the bible in school. I was friends with other Catholic children and was expected to pursue the life of a nun (at least, that's what my grandparents expected).
Around sixth grade, my family started going to a Lutheran church and I was confirmed in this church. The ways of prayer and many other religious aspects changed and I was changed.
In this way, I feel as though Pi and I have some similarities. Although I did not switch between two major religions, it was still a significant change. Like Pi, who considers himself to be Hindu and Christian simultaneously, I consider myself Catherine (a term my family came up with to mean a mix between Catholic and Lutherine).
Religion in a sense is hereditary. From a young age, I was brought up Catholic. I went to a Catholic grade school and was raised in a Catholic home. This religious background shaped the way I lived from the moment I was baptised at the age of 2 months. I was expected to memorize prayers, participate in all the commandments my age allowed and study the bible in school. I was friends with other Catholic children and was expected to pursue the life of a nun (at least, that's what my grandparents expected).
Around sixth grade, my family started going to a Lutheran church and I was confirmed in this church. The ways of prayer and many other religious aspects changed and I was changed.
In this way, I feel as though Pi and I have some similarities. Although I did not switch between two major religions, it was still a significant change. Like Pi, who considers himself to be Hindu and Christian simultaneously, I consider myself Catherine (a term my family came up with to mean a mix between Catholic and Lutheran).
Religion is a crucial part of many people's lives. It guides their decisions and influences their personalities. I personally do not practice any religion, but I can say that I do believe in something. It shapes so many things in our lives even if you do not believe in anything. Governments are influenced all the time by religion. Some laws are changed or made based around religion. It is all around us and even if you are one who has no feeling or preference on the matter, it still has affected you in some way.
Religion shapes our everyday life whether we know it or not. Whether someone holds religious beliefs or not, it affects their daily lives. One person may turn to their religion to guide them through their thoughts and choices in life. While one person turns to their religion, another may specifically turn away from all religious guidance and ideals and choose to follow a more secular path. I am a practicing Catholic so i understand what the narrator means. For a person outside the religion, it is what it says it is. There is only one God. Violence is common in the history of the Catholic religion because of the crusades. The talk of the education and schools being better is a common rumor, because it is said that they have a strict education system. Religion is an important part of everyday living.
The end.
How does religion not shape us? It explains the unknown, gives us something to believe in. Tells us what's right and what's wrong. Guides us through many different situations. It's a way of life.
It's easy to think anything about something that you don't really know. Society's perception can be inherited as your own, no matter how incorrect if you don't know any better.
It's at times hard to predict what it is that will go on in meberance, but one can cow t on people remembering things that are strange, extreme, or great. In a Hindu society Christianity would of course be looked at as a religion with few gods. It is known for great violence because great violence has been committed in the name of the Christian religion, even if it may not be violent by nature. People will remember that Christians have good schools because they must have different options in mind to find what is best for their children.
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