“Are you religious?”
Hm: let's see …
By first or second
meanings in the dictionary?
“Religious
–
Having or showing
belief in and reverence for
God or a deity.
*
1)
Diety – A god or goddess.
1)
Divine – Sacred. Superhuman; godlike.
1) God – A being
conceived
as the perfect, omnipotent,
omniscient
originator and ruler
of the universe.
The force, effect, or a
manifestation
or aspect of this being.
A being of
supernatural powers or attributes,
believed in and worshiped
by a people,
especially a male deity
thought to control some part of
nature or reality.
An image of a supernatural being; an
idol. ”
By 1st definitions—
where “being religious” means
anthropomorphically imposing human
intentionality
onto all aspects of sentient and
non-sentient reality—
no: I am not religious.
*
2) Diety –
The essential nature or condition of being a god; divinity.
2) Divine –
Supremely good or beautiful; magnificent.
Extremely pleasant; delightful. Heavenly; perfect.
2) God – One that is
worshiped, idealized, or followed. ”
By 2nd definitions—
where “being religious” means
believing in and revering
the natural beings and happenings in
this world,
which are essentially good, beautiful,
and
for fleeting moments pleasant and
perfect;
working to embody those ideals within
my flesh,
and appreciating their various
expressions
in a thousand other fleshes
beyond my perception—
yes: I would say that I am.
When I first saw this poem I was a little worried that I was going to come upon some blind religious preachings that aim to get me to discover my love for religion or a god, as if someone was selling me a product. However, I enjoy your approach in recognizing how often people do this, as it has been a mark of history that Christians have tried to make the entire world follow their religion, which usually happens during periods of colonization. Your idea of religion is very pure and something that I personally can relate to because it makes sense logically, yet also emotionally as I believe that everyone on this planet is born with a love for this planet’s beauty.
ReplyDeleteI think of myself as a realist, and in my short life here on Earth so far, I have heard about the good and the ugly of this world, however most of which I was never able to experience myself. This is why I love the second definition of religion as it gives me a confirmation to my philosophy about the world as beautiful because it is marred by naturally-occurring tragedies. All of the processes and events of the world are fleeting indeed, but for some reason that brings pleasure to my mind, because I also know that fleeting things always have influence on other events. That is why I would say that I am religious based of the second definition as well as I love all of the things that surround me, both good and bad, as I believe it brings a balance to the universe and it makes me believe in the potential of not only myself, but everything around me that I interact with and influence in some way, shape, or form.
"I think of myself as a realist, ... This is why I love the second definition of religion as it gives me a confirmation to my philosophy" - that's called Confirmation Bias ("the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one's existing beliefs or theories"). It's probably impossible for any of us to truly be realists - subjectively motivated as we are in our patterns of thinking. But good on you for giving it a try :)
DeleteWhat is religion, really? I appreciate your exploration of the concept, and the different perspectives through which one can view this often controversial topic. When I was around 12 and studying ancient civilizations, my teacher held a class discussion about the elements essential to the creation of a society, and it was determined that religion was one of these elements. At first, I was surprised, perhaps because of my perception that American society is growing increasingly secular and I did not, at first, see religion as fundamentally crucial to the creation of functioning of a society. It is your poem that encapsulates the reason our class discussion reached its conclusion; religion can be seen in many different ways. I admire your second definition of religion; to me, it seems to frame religion as an emphasis on connection with spirituality, joy, and bliss of life. And with this explanation, it makes sense why religion is crucial to everyday functioning. By nature, humans seek meaning and purpose; we all crave some interpretation of the vast, abstract, and impossible-to-understand world in which we live. Some find this in your first definition, such as through belief in a higher being. Others may find this by having faith in a different way, with trust in oneself and the world surrounding them.
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading this poem, I was thinking: if you were to make your own new society, or rather, an “ancient civilization,” would you establish a religion? Do you think it would be stronger for the unity of the civilization to believe in a more tangible higher being or a more ambiguous general optimism? Is it science that has begun to shoulder some of the weight of providing humans with tangible meaning to living? What is it that has made our society more secular, in the sense of the first definition? And, has religion in terms of the second definition been affected by secularization, too? Which is at greater risk of more drastic minimization?
I feel very fortunate to have been a child around adults who were simultaneously proactive learners/nature-lovers and consistent church-going Lutherans. In my family, there was no battle between science and faith: that contention would be as alien an idea to them as requesting that they strip the family bookshelf of either the encyclopedias and National Geographics issues or of the fiction and poetry anthologies. They both have an important role in perceiving and living a life of purpose and meaning.
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