Lewis 1

Jordan Lewis
Mrs. Scaife
Composition I
18 September, 2015

What Is Religion and Faith

I have doubted the existence of Yahweh (the name I grew up calling god) for a few
years now, not truly understanding why we believe theres someone up there pulling the
strings. I tried my hardest to forget about my doubts, and focusing on believing and following
the bible like my mom, grandparents, and the rest of my family told me to. In my heart I could
not fully do so.; I tried to used to sit and try and draw meaning from the words people spoke
about religion, but pulling meaning from those words was like trying to hold water in my hands;
I simply could not.I came up with blanks (use more complex words). Id see homeless people
sitting on the streets and hear stories on the news about poverty and the mistreatment of those
less fortunate how badly people are doing around the world, and that would hurt me. Growing
up, they told us if you pray to our savior, things will change, so I did. I thought that by praying
and asking Yahweh for help, not for myself, but for the people and world around me, things
would come get better, but they did not. You would still hear the same news: starvation,
homelessness and cruel behavior. people starving to death, kids having nowhere to sleepslumber,
and cruel people doing harm to others. Yet, the more I prayed more, yet nothing changed.,
Eeverything was still the same. (talk about a specific moment, Show more) Those moments
ended up planting a seed ofa doubt with in me that I did not want to admit to others. As I grew
up, any question I had about our religion was met withby go to church more to understand.,

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and wWhen I did, mI did not understand anything. My questions werent answered, and the
world was still the same cruel thing. After that, my view on religion changed. To me, what was
the point in believing in an entity and praying when nothing comes out of it?.
To come to an understanding about religion and faith, I decided I should interview people
based on what they believe. I interviewed three people: one non-denomination, an atheist, and a
someone whose faith is in Buddhistm. I asked each the same questions:
Religion confusesponders me, more or less the idea of fearing and praising and entity I
cannot see or logically comprehend. Then again, it's hard for me to outright and say outload and
convince myself that I do not believe. Deep down I want to, but I just cant. I tried seeking
knowledge from someone close to me in my next interview, my grandmother, who devotes her
life to religion, seeing if I could pick up wisdom from her, and help shed light upon me, to keep
me from going down that dark path anymore.
During our interview, she divulged (good word choice) that for her, where religion is her
way of life, and the reason that she keeps pushing throughout the years. Her only doubts came
from who gets saved (a particular group or everyone who believes), but she has never questioned
god's existence in her life. She believes the universe is all the proof of god that she needs that
god exist. The fall, she says, signifies his death, winter signifying his burial, spring and
summer means his resurrection. When discussing talking about what faith is and why it matters,
she stated something that spoke to me. Its something you believe in when all else falls apart.
You need something like faith and your beliefs to rely on. It was hard for me to relate to her on
this topic. I could not agree with thewhat she was sayinThe woman I grew up admiringto admire,
lovinge and respecting, I could not agree with what she was saying. I sought out someone that I

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have known and seem to share a lot of views with for my next interview, Matthew Cook. (nice
transition)
I was able to get a young man by the name of Matthew Cook to agree to let me interview
him about his beliefs. I have known him for years, and, about two years prior to this, he came out
as an atheist to me. Throughout our interview, I found myself agreeing with a lot of what he had
to say when it comes to his belief on religion.( a little difficult to mention your interview at this
point when you are still adding background, try to introduce all your background first then begin
to talk about the interview) A lot of the issues I had, correlate with his issue with religion and
why he converted to atheism.
Matthews story sounded the same as mine: His parents and grandparents introduced him
to religion. His doubts started at a young age where his parents told him to forget about his
worries, and focus on the good things everything good going on in life. He grew up trying his
hardest to believe in something he could not see in his own heart. But what changed him
completely was hearing a woman who survived a car wrecked, and thanked the lord and herour
savior for her survival, yet she neglected to thank the fireman who pulled her out of the wreckage
or the doctors and nurses who kept her alive. For myself, I can see where he was coming from,
seeing a woman totally disregard the people who developed the technology and the ones that
used the tools to save her life and instead thank God for it. To me, is not right at all.
What surprised me was the difficultiy he faceed that he said converting. For him, there
was the hardest thing he has ever done and that to him there is no going back. k. It took him a
year to come to terms with him not believing anymore. , Like me, he isolated himself from
church to find himself. (something Ive been doing) and o Once youhe coame to terms with your
decision and broke ties with religion you could not recant and go back to the faith that you

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threw to the ground. The more he spoke the more I could see myself in him. He The way he
spoke of how he converted and his facial expressions and I felt his showed the pain and the battle
he went through to find himself. I, too, struggled to figure out whether I am an atheist or whether
I believe in god, and it's been a constant battle within. Not knowing whether I am a bad person
for my lack of faith and having doubt in the Judeo-Christian god that I once believed in, or if it's
alright that I might question his existence and might need to go out and find my own way, which
I might have found in my last interview. With my last interview it sparked an interest in me. I
interviewed a young woman named Sandra Nguyen whose faith happened to lie in be
Buddhism.
Throughout our interview Ms.Nguyen explained divulged to me more about what it
means to be a Buddhist and what her faith is - it is more of a philosophy than, instead of a
religion, that holds various traditions, beliefs, and spiritual practices. They do not believe there is
a sole creator like Christianity and the Islamic faith. For them, they believe that suffering is all
around us which is caused by ignorance and desire. However, this suffering can end in the world.
She described her faith and how she kept as having a warm deep feeling running through her
body. She compared it to missing someone you loved dearly, and how you feel their presence
when you think of them. With that, I could relate to her. There were times where I have missed
my loved ones, and could feel a warmth spread across me but could never understand why. The
most importantbiggest thing she said was that about faith was that it's the order in your life that
keeps you feeling, thinking, and living a certain way; it's your protective bubble in the world of
chaos. When things go spiraling out of control, your faith is what holds you together to keep
you going. It's something most people need in life whether it's having faith in a god or having
your faith in logic. Whatever the case is, it keeps you going in life.

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After my interviews with each person and listening to what they had to say about their
religion and faith, they gave me an insight on myself. Im still not completely sure whether I
believe in the god I grew up believing in anymore. For me, I feel like I walk on a thin line, a line
on which there is one side that is the light, and my faith and my wanting to still hold on to my
past beliefs, but, on the other Ii see my more logical side, who cannot feel that god exists in my
life. For myself, I need to go out and figure out what I do believe. As of now, I can see myself
trying to learn more about Buddhism, and following their way. The interviews, however, shed
light on the importance of belief to me upon why people believe what they do. People believe
what they do when it comes to faith and religion, because it creates is order for them in their
livesfe. Without their order, they lose their comfort and safety and chaos forms. Most people in
general need that anchor to continue on in life.

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