Religion, Religiosity And Spirituality Essay Samples

Religion

Religion is defined in sociology as a “a system of beliefs and practice by means of which a group of people struggle with the ultimate problems of human life (Yinger)." There are many different perspectives to define religion when it is looked at from different religious standpoints so the sociological definition is best to encompass the overall definition. This is because sociology takes an approach to define religion without attempting to prove whether god or different deities exist it just defines the practice. Thus we will look at religion in this view for the purpose of this examination. Religion is the way that people can fulfill something that is missing in their life a reason to do something good, a fill to a void of what happens to people after their life is complete and an answer to so many questions. Religion provides moral structure for communities as there are always sets of rules and guidelines in place to ensure that a person who follows these will end up in a promised paradise in there afterlife or the opposite if the rules are ignored there is a promise of an afterlife filled with misery and discomfort. All religions have some things in common and these include:

Holding life as a sacred privilege

A list of things that are believed in and should be addressed with faith even though there is nothing to prove the existence to the believers.
Certain practices called rituals that are performed to show the followers faith to their deity this can be praying, singing, meetings etc.

Meetings held together with people of the same faith

The explanation for how the world and people came to be
The idea of why there is evil present in the lives of everyone in the world
All of these things are common and present no matter the religion that each person follows and are necessary to bring a sense of understanding, fulfillment, and unity to the community of followers (Monnier).

Religiosity

Religiosity is considered an overwhelming and massive amount of religious expression. It is characterized by people’s dedication to their religion and religious activities leading to excessive worship. This type of worship is usually overwhelming and more than the rest of the religious community does. It is usually focused on how a person feels about their own belief system and not how the religious community around them practices their chosen faith. An example of this could be if a person reads there bible every day for four hours. The church may not say this is necessary but the individual feels that to ignore this would be a condemnation and they make sure to follow this order every day of their life. Even though this example is a mild one and is not necessarily a bad thing the problem is that when you are a Christian your dedication is supposed to be to your personal relationship with the lord and not a devotion to a book or statue etc. Although religiosity can be found in any religion it is very looked down on for Christians who constantly remind followers of the purpose of their religion and that is to strengthen the bond with Christ. Religiosity is no something that is looked at in a good way or something people are looked up to for it is actually considered inappropriate devotion. The purpose of Christianity is to serve god to love him and thank him for the life we have and the afterlife we will be rewarded not to make him love us or impress people (author).

Spirituality

Spirituality is similar to religion as it is also a search for an understanding of life. It involves a belief in a higher power or creator however it often leaves who the creator is undefined and does not include a belief that some people are accepted and the rest suffer in the afterlife if they do not share a belief. Spirituality also not confined to any certain place or church but rather an encompassed in all surroundings of life. One definition of the existence of spirituality that best describes what people that believe in this perceive is “Activities which renew, lift up, comfort, heal and inspire both ourselves and those with whom we interact (Greenberg)." In short spirituality is a way to encompass the same beliefs as some religions do however it gives the believer more freedom from consequences and rules that all religions have. It allows the believer to follow a path that helps them achieve peace through the idea that all of humanity was made by some higher power and we should love and care for everyone no matter their flaws. Although religion is often at odds with spirituality because people who are religious follow a faith that all others must convert to the same religion, people who follow the faith in spirituality think differently and feel that this is not how the afterlife works and all people end up in the same place. People who practice spirituality are seeking a deep experience within their soul and through certain rituals this person is able to achieve an enlightened state and inner peace.

Works Cited

Greenberg, Neel. 'SPIRITUALITY DEFINED'. Notes.utk.edu. N.p., 2015. Web. 18 Jan. 2015.
Monnier, Christine. 'Global Sociology / Religion'. Globalsociology.pbworks.com. N.p., 2015. Web. 18 Jan. 2015.
Shappiro, Rabbi. 'What Is The Difference Between Religion And Spirituality?'. Spirituality & Health Magazine. N.p., 2015. Web. 18 Jan. 2015.
Yinger, J.M. 'Sociological Definition Of Relig'. Www2.uncp.edu. N.p., 2015. Web. 18 Jan. 2015.