Interview for a high school assignment, would anyone care to be interviewed?

jimm23

I have an assignment to interview a person who practices a religion regularly. If you are interested in doing this interview you can PM me, answer here, or e-mail me via my profile. The questions are below:

1. What do you believe about God?
2. What do you think are are the most important characteristics of religion?
3. In what ways does religion provide meaning and purpose for you?
4. Do you see religious action or practise as an important aspect of being religious?
5. Please name the religious practices you engage in?
6. What encourages your faith? What gives you faith?
7. How do you think religon influences society?
8. Where did you learn the importance of religon?
9. What do you see as the difference between religion and spirituality?

If you feel uncomfortable about any of the questions above feel free to not answer that particular question/s.

Thanks for your help

DhammaDhatu

1. What do you believe about God?

God is the personification of natural laws and of higher human spiritual qualities. If we study the characteristics of God in theistic religions, especially the Bible, we can observe the characteristics of God have evolved along with human spiritual evolution. As human beings grew in wisdom, the gods they manufactured grew in wisdom.




Many human beings enjoy the belief in God. Even ancient peoples took comfort in believing in natural spirits, such as the tree god, sun god, forest gods, etc.

1. What do you think are are the most important characteristics of religion?

Each religion has ethics or non-harming as its foundation. This is very important so religion can bring peace to earth (where it has generally failed due to doctrines of selfish salvation). Then religion needs a method to liberate human beings from suffering. For example, if one believes Jesus forgives sin and promises life after death, these are methods that can help relieve human suffering. Whilst Buddhism teaches differently, all of its many teachings have one goal, namely, to remedy human suffering.





It is wrong to regard one's religion is "the only truth". Each religion is an expression of faith and that is all. Like different medicines can heal both different & the same diseases, various faiths are merely methods of healing and remedies for human suffering.

1. In what ways does religion provide meaning and purpose for you?

It offers wisdom that gives knowledge & vision of reality. It follows, when reality is understood, suffering will cease. One has harmony with life & death.

1. Do you see religious action or practise as an important aspect of being religious?

Absolutely. The Letter of James in the New Testament teaches faith without actions is a dead thing. Certain schools of Christianity & Islam teach the doctrine of faith without actions. These religions of selfish salvation, of faith without actions, have lead to much mischief on our good Earth.

1. Please name the religious practices you engage in?

Generosity, harmlessness, meditation, wisdom, good-will, compassion.

1. What encourages your faith? What gives you faith?

Faith that religious practise leads to peace, harmony and ends suffering & dis-ease. Faith is two-fold. First, the belief that certain things lead to suffering & harm and second, the belief certain things lead to peace, wisdom & happiness.

1. How do you think religon influences society?

Primarily, the religious influence on society is positive although material & technological development has helped alot. Many of society's deeper values, laws, etc, are based in religion. However, material & technological development was required to bring peace to the Western world. With material comforts, the average human being has some level of contentment and is thus less prone to violence.


That said, history shows religion can also bring trouble & violence, especially religions of selfish salvation.

1. Where did you learn the importance of religon?

Through meditation practice. When I found peace in meditation, I then understood the messages of religion.

1. What do you see as the difference between religion and spirituality?

Religion is the social adaptation to society of spiritual wisdom, however only generally in the form of morality or ethics. But some religions, like Christianity, have taken higher spiritual practises and created social psychological doctrines, such as the love & forgiveness of Christ.

In a social setting such social practises work, where the love of a person and the love of a group are used to bring comfort and sense of ease & belonging to people.

However, generally, the benefits are commensurate with the religious adaptation from spiritually. In other words, the group therapy can only help so much. I have seen devout Christians lose their faith when a partner dies.

But spirituality is individual salvation via the spiritual efforts of the individual. Liberation found in this way cannot be lost or broken.

As Jesus said in the Gospel of Thomas: "My disciples are like children that have settled into a field that is not their own. When they get over their wine [intoxication], they will repent".

Best wishes

federica

jimm23 wrote: »

What do you believe about God?

I believe he's a necessary figment of people's imaginations. He had to be invented to give people something to cling to.

What do you think are are the most important characteristics of religion?

That the teachings can be verified as being reliable to follow.

In what ways does religion provide meaning and purpose for you?

By being a constant I can have confidence in.

Do you see religious action or practise as an important aspect of being religious?

Yes. Every day, every moment is an opportunity.

Please name the religious practices you engage in?

From the moment I wake up and take Refuge in the Triple gem, and recite the 5 Precepts, I am engaging in practice.

What encourages your faith? What gives you faith?

Buddhism and the teachings of the Buddha. But I mean "Faith" as in 'confidence', not 'Faith' as in 'Hope'.

How do you think religon influences society?

Theistic religion is manipulative, controlling and instils fear into people.
Wouldn't touch it with a barge-pole, personally....Although it does have its good points. but it doesn't appeal to me...other than in a general sense....

Where did you learn the importance of religion?

From my own experience and practice....

What do you see as the difference between religion and spirituality?

Why does there have to be a difference?

For my own part, I think that somebody 'spiritual' is seeking to find a serene place to be, within themselves, and is eager to establish a calm and content, joyous attitude, within, without attempting to control, deny, resent or change what goes on outside the Self....
Spirituality to me, means being focused on the Self, but focused on the self in a manner in which one can completely accept one's self as one is, but realise that every day can bring further developments to challenge - or nourish - the Contentment one is seeking do attain. I think Spirituality is focused more on achieving a 'level' Self, while religion is focused on a specific practice with discipline, guidance and Devotion. So there is an inner peace that spirituality brings because spirituality is about yourself.
Combine this with the satisfaction of Practising the Religion one follows, and there is a whole-ness that can be achieved with immense reward....