Why do people choose to believe in something sacred and have faith? I believe that people choose to have faith due to wanting to believe there is something greater than just life itself. We discussed in class how three theories that we are studying evaluate and view religion. I would not say that I agree fully with any of the theories explanations but took into account how they interested me and made me think more in depth about religion itself. The Social Conflict Theory stated that religion serves the elite by legitimizing the status quo and diverts the attention from social inequality. I do not agree with this statement due to my personal experiences of being a weekly church goer myself. When my priest does his sermon and gives his homily most of the time and just recently he has discussed with us about giving back and helping out the poor and less fortunate. I know that this sounds so bland and original due to the church encouraging people to give back but I sincerely think they mean well and hope for people with disposable income to do good in society.To continue off of my experiences of going to church, I think that people choose to have faith and believe due to them wanting to do good in their lifetime. The church gives so many opportunities to give back to your community and even more such as mission trips and getaways. This keeps society in check because if people have set morals and standards that are in line with their faith then they will stay with them regardless of the challenges that life brings to them. That right there shows the power of faith and religion and how it can keep people at terms with who they are and what they believe in without the temptations of everyday society. I am not trying to slam religion down anyone's throat or telling them they are going to hell since they do not believe. I just think that people at a younger age should give it a try and actually try to believe and have faith and see where it brings them in life. The one thing I do not like is how people judge negatively based on the fact that I go to church, I feel so ashamed that I often hide it due to the negative reputation it gets with my generation.
In general though the people that do go to church and that do stick to their beliefs and faith I feel tend to live a more enjoyable and happy life. I challenge anyone to go to church on a weekly basis and actually engage in the masses and get involved and see where it gets you and how you feel after and during it. There has to be something more to this life than just waking up and going to school or work and with faith you drive yourself to try and find that meaning to life. That is why religion keeps society sane and prosperous.
http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/1996/01/bg1064nbsp-why-religion-matters
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