In class this week we discussed the concept of religiosity. From my understanding, religiosity is a basic term that refers to various concepts surrounding religious activities and beliefs as they apply to different individuals. We discussed the three B's, or the three basic concepts that make up religiosity. Belonging, the first B, is best described as whether or not a person identifies or belongs to a specific religion. Believing, the second B, involves whether or not an individual believes in a religion they belong to, or just any religion in general. The third B is behavior, which describes the extent to which an individual participates in or practices their religion (one can also lack any sort of religious behavior).
I grew up in a protestant church and was always taught that one had to attend church in order to practice their religion or to belong to the church. However, as I have grown older I have come to find that this is not the universal law of religion that it appeared to be at that time. If you are like me, you will find this hard to believe, and that is why I have included a link to a video made by the pastor of a church in North Carolina. I chose this video because it hits on all 3 B's. I also chose to share this video because it best describes my opinion concerning church services.
I currently do not belong to a church, yet I strongly believe in Christian values and I try to practice the Christian religion to the best of my abilities. Some would argue that this means that I cannot be a true Christian, but I do not believe that that is the case. Essentially, they are arguing that in order to have a sense of belonging I must belong to a specific church or congregation. Some would also argue that in order to be a practicing Christian I would have to attend services at a formal church. However, I would argue that I can accomplish all three B's without ever stepping foot in a church. I have found through my own personal experience at churches that they do very little toward strengthening my relationship with God. I personally have discovered that I most identify with my own Christian faith when I am out in nature or when I am studying the Bible alone rather than when I am at church. Similarly, I have found that I better practice morals and ethics taught by the Christian religions when I have had more opportunities to spend time in nature. This poses a very important question that contradicts what most of us have been taught since birth: is it possible to be religious without ever stepping foot in a church?
I agree fully with this video. Society gets to caught up in what label and category you fall under. Religion, faith, beliefs, etc. should be between you and the higher power you believe or don't believe in. I don't need to be in a church every Sunday morning to know that I am furthering my beliefs and living my life with a clean conscience. I will play devils advocate for a moment... and just ask is this a way for people (my self included) to claim religious and not be a part of a church and therefore not have anyone keeping them accountable?
ReplyDeleteI would like to start by answering the question of is it possible to be religious without ever stepping foot in a church? and my answer is yes I believe that a person can believe in a higher power, practice how they want to practice and don't have to go to church if they don't either have time or have a regular church. I liked the video and agree in believing is good enough to be a good christian.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with this article in that there are way to many people concerned with labels and which one is better than the other. I know a lot of religious people and many go to church twice or more a week and many others go maybe on the holidays but in my opinion the faith is what makes someone religious not which church they belong to, how often they attend church or pray.
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