My Life, My Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

My Life, My Religion - Essay Example The Bible or the hymn book was my only choices so I choose the storybook. My parents decided to allow me to read, I suppose because it kept me from sleeping or fidgeting. My interest in this very long and difficult to comprehend book grew over time as did the time invested in exploring it. I began reading at home during episodes of boredom. This experience during my early teen years changed my outlook and shaped my philosophy of life. As I read, what I thought was important became rather meaningless. I began to develop a much different set of values than my friends, neighbors, and family. What fascinated me the most were the first four books of the New Testament. I found the words of Christ simple, to the point and ultimately a path to inner contentment. The Bible gave me the foundation of what I have built upon since my youth. Since then, I have read other philosophical and religious books and found they do not contradict, in fact, they support the tenets found in the Bible. Though the roots of my viewpoint begin with the Bible, I do not consider myself Christian, far from it. Most religions I know including and especially Christianity teach that ‘we are the right path to God’ therefore no other belief system is valid. My interpretation of Christ’s words leads me to believe the division is ultimately destructive for the individual and society. Rather, I concluded that inclusion and finding the similarities help bind us all together. The words of Christ allowed me to develop a new viewpoint which teaches the path to real happiness. In my case, this involves thinking in ways that bolster my self-respect, what makes me proud of me. Others, of course, have different views on what makes them happy such as ‘if I make more money, I’d be higher on the social ladder’ or ‘if I had more control over my life, I’d be happy then.’Â