The Oxford English Dictionary defines a belief as “the doctrines believed by the professors of a religious system” (Oxford English Dictionary, 1989, ¶ 3). One of the definitions of a system is
” the set of correlated principles, ideas, or statements belonging to some department of knowledge or belief; a department of knowledge or belief considered as an organized whole; a connected and regularly arranged scheme of the whole of some subject; a comprehensive body of doctrines, conclusions, speculations, or theses (Oxford English Dictionary, 1989, ¶ 8). ”
Therefore, a belief system is can be defined as religious or spiritual doctrines that are connected into an organized whole. All religions share the goal of explaining life’s unanswerable questions such as how did we begin, why are we here; and why do illness and natural disasters occur. Modern science has answered many, but certainly not all of these questions. My beliefs do not fit into a “system” because I am unsure there is a God and consider myself an agnostic. This paper will discuss how this author acquired my belief system as well as the components of my belief system. How I Acquired My Beliefs
I come from multiple generations of Mormons or as is properly known as Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS). The LDS church is a Christian religion which teaches that God is “our heavenly father” and that Jesus Christ is the son of God. The Holy Ghost is a separate spirit who guides us to understand right from wrong (Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, 2005). As a child, I attended church with my family every Sunday, prayed at night to “our heavenly father”, and attended seminary during high school. Most of my immediate family still practices this religion but does not always attend church regularly.
I first started to doubt the teachings of my church at about age ten. It is at about this age that one is expected to “bear their testimony”. Bearing one’s testimony involves standing before the congregation and sharing one’s unquestioning belief in God and Jesus Christ as well as sharing how God as affected one’s life. I tried to experience the epiphany that everyone else seemed to have regarding the truth of the word of God but the epiphany never came; therefore, I pretended to feel what others seemed to feel. By high school, I had observed hypocrisy among members of the church but still strictly followed the church doctrines regarding chastity and abstention from alcohol. The exact point in my life when doubt became agnosticism is unclear but I know there is no one true church and have my doubts if there is an all-powerful God who created this earth.
Do My Beliefs Constitute a Religious Belief System?
By definition, a religious belief system should be made from a group of spiritual ideas and doctrines to follow. I have a strong moral code which includes a belief in right and wrong. I believe in doing no harm and raising children to be honest and moral, but people should behave morally not because there will be punishment in the afterlife but because it is the right thing to do. I believe in allowing anyone who wishes the opportunity to explore their own beliefs and make up their own mind about religion and spirituality. I would not define this as a religious belief system but it is a moral belief system that includes a code of conduct.
Benefits and Disadvantages of My Belief System
The fact that there is no commitment on my part to attend church or apply myself to a religion is both a benefit and a disadvantage of my religious beliefs. A disadvantage is the uncertainty of what comes after death, but this can also be an incentive to live life to its fullest. Committing to church attendance and assisting with church functions can be a fulfilling and rewarding experience. On the other hand, my time is my own with no additional stressors of church commitments. Churches have a support system as well as a social system that provides enrichment to people’s lives. I have no similar social outlet, however a similar social outlet can be found by doing volunteer work or joining other social groups. My children have been raised without formal religion but are moral, ethical and responsible young men without the fear of religious punishment to persuade them to treat others and themselves with respect.
The Role of Tradition in My Religious Belief System
Religious tradition such as holiday celebrations are important but perhaps not as the holidays were originally intended to be celebrated. Christmas and Easter are treated as traditions that began in honor of Christ but are now celebrated as a tradition of music, decorations and learning the joy of giving just the right gift to those you love. The historical significance of Christian traditions were taught to my children but they have the choice to celibrate these holidays as just tradition or as also a celebration of the birth of Christ. Attending funerals in church are a tradition that is observed to say goodbye to loved ones but is not a forum to show my family that my beliefs differ from theirs.
The Role of Tradition in Religion
Tradition is a part of all religion be it ancient or a relatively new religion. Tradition is part of the rituals that bind us together with shared experiences that make a community. Without tradition, religion is just a set of ideas and doctrines that does not contain a shared history of activities and rituals.
Conclusion
Everyone has if not a religious belief system then at least a moral code that they live by. Even atheists have a religious belief system that includes a belief that there is no God. It is much more difficult to describe a belief system that is essentially “I’m not sure there is a God”. We coexist with other cultures more than at any time in history because of large scale immigration and the ease of air travel. Cultural and religious beliefs are inextricably intertwined. One cannot understand a culture of a people without also understanding the religious beliefs of those same people. If we are to peacefully coexist on this increasingly smaller earth, we must understand the cultural beliefs of each other.
References
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. (2005). Basic beliefs. In . Retrieved December 19, 2005 from www.mormon.org/learn/0,8672,1082-1,00.html
Oxford English Dictionary. (1989). Retrieved December 19, 2005 from University of Phoenix database.
