My Understanding of Religion

At Southwest Missouri State University, all Religious Studies majors have to write this paper. Here's mine...

Religion is (in my opinion) the most controversial subject extant today. If you are ever in the mood to argue with someone, just bring up religion. It is at the core of every difference of opinion, and behind every conflict. I personally do not see this as a challenge, nor does it discourage me from discussing religion. I am aware that some people hate discussing religion, but frankly, I enjoy it. I think people have lost (or never had) the ability to debate. This is true not only in religious debates, but most any area. The first thing we must do is not take offense with someone disagreeing with our point of view. Secondly, we must know why we believe what we believe. In my opinion, a person does not really believe something unless they know why they believe it.
Aside from how controversial religion is, I also would like to comment on what I believe religion to be. Religion is quite an interesting word. It is hard to define it without excluding a certain group of adherents to what we would normally call a “religion”. ‘A belief in God’ doesn’t apply to Buddhists, ‘a system of moral guidelines’ doesn’t really apply to Taoist thought as well as a host of other “religions”, and the list goes on. This is why I strongly prefer the term worldview. Everyone has a worldview. You cannot be a conscious human being and not have one. I define a worldview as a system by which one interprets the way the world operates. Sharing your worldview means answering the famous list of foundational questions, such as: how, when, where, who, why and what.
Because everyone has a system by which they interpret this existence and on which they base all of their decisions, it goes without saying that a worldview should be of the utmost importance to the one holding it. A worldview is not something you choose by spinning a wheel, tossing dice, or Russian roulette. It should be carefully weighed out and constantly reviewed and tested as one lives out life. Also, it should be noted that one need not know every detail concerning his/her worldview in order to posses it. I would even go further to say that it is not possible to know every detail of any particular worldview. As we journey through this existence, we should continually be open to new ideas and learning experiences. Failure to do this is the perfect example of close-mindedness. I do, however, believe that we can be so “open-minded” that our brain might fall out. I am not advocating relativism, or the idea that “all beliefs and worldviews are created equal.” Some individuals take the principle of open-mindedness further that it should be taken. It is NOT close-minded to have a STRONG belief or worldview. However, it IS close-minded to NOT listen to or consider another’s view in light of your own. In closing, I will also say that a “religion” or “worldview” is something that should affect every aspect of your life. As I discussed earlier, a worldview is a system by which one interprets how the world works, and on which all decisions are made. What could be more important or foundational? In a world full of choices to make, what standard or system will we embrace to guide our steps? In truth, every person has, in fact, already chosen a standard or system to under-gird their decisions. I believe that one who claims a given “religion” or “worldview”, yet has not come to this decision on their own, cannot truthfully and whole-heartedly adhere to it. And just as strongly, I believe that the assertion that one has not associated with any particular “religion” or “worldview” is a self-refuting assertion. All one has to do is ask that person why they don’t associate with any “religion” or “worldview.” Their response will likely be a rather specific explanation of the worldview that led them to the assertion that they don’t hold to any specific worldview.