Religious Expectations
Background
In all religions, we are expected to follow rules and commandments. In each religion we find different expectations and different consequences of disobeying these rules. The person or God holding these high expectations vary from religion to religion. We can see consequences of disobedience to religious standards in myths and ancient stories. Looking into the Bible, Eve disobeyed God's word to not eat the fruit of the tree because isntaed of listening to God, she listened to the serpent instead who almost dared her to eat it saying nothing would happen to her and Adam. After both consuming the fruit, she was shown there were consequences to every decision we make in life. Before Eve disobeyed God, he made it clear that death would be the punishment for not following his simple rules. Although Adam and Eve did live for much longer after they were condemned death for eating the fruit, they were driven out of the Garden of Eden and like us, grew old and sick and died. We can only imagine if they had followed God's word, they would have lived on forever living a peaceful life in the Garden of Eden.
Religious expectations vary in each religion. Some religions state that the life we live on Earth should be focused on peace so we can reach ultimate happiness in our after life versus other religions who recommend living our life to the fullest and not focus what comes later because we don't know what will happen.
Here are four different main religious expectations and the consequences for disobeying these expectaitons:
JUDAISM
-expected to not eat pork, receive a bat or bar mitzvah, not sin, obey God’s commandments, focus on this life rather than the next
-The ten commandments are the perfect example of religious expectations because placed before us are a list of things that are expected of us throughout our daily lives.
ISLAMIC
-expected to follow the five pillars
1- Profession of Faith: "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet".
2- Prayer: (Five times a day)
3- Give alms
4- Fasting on the month of Ramadan
5- Pilgrimage to Mecca, the "Hajj"
- if standards not met, we are brought to Hell after death
CHRISTIANITY
- we all have sinned and are thereby separated from God. Salvation is through faith in Christ and, for some, sacraments and good works.
-if we sin we will go to hell of temporary purgatory
-expected to get baptized and have a confirmation
CHINESE RELIGION
-Purpose is a peaceful life and afterlife, this can be attained through rituals and honoring of ancestors
-if we do not live a kind and good life- we will not receive a peaceful afterlife where after judgement we would reincarnate. Instead we will be place in temporary hell until we gain a “Buddhist-type” paradise
-expected to follow the five pillars
1- Profession of Faith: "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet".
2- Prayer: (Five times a day)
3- Give alms
4- Fasting on the month of Ramadan
5- Pilgrimage to Mecca, the "Hajj"
- if standards not met, we are brought to Hell after death
CHRISTIANITY
- we all have sinned and are thereby separated from God. Salvation is through faith in Christ and, for some, sacraments and good works.
-if we sin we will go to hell of temporary purgatory
-expected to get baptized and have a confirmation
CHINESE RELIGION
-Purpose is a peaceful life and afterlife, this can be attained through rituals and honoring of ancestors
-if we do not live a kind and good life- we will not receive a peaceful afterlife where after judgement we would reincarnate. Instead we will be place in temporary hell until we gain a “Buddhist-type” paradise
How Religion Impacts Our Expectations
Studies have shown that the more religion is focused on in your life, the less trouble you get yourself into throught your life. When people go to church, temple, or any religious ceremony we are constantly reminded of our expectations and the consequences. This stays with us when making decisions in life like to go to a party where there might be drugs or alcohol, having premarital intercourse, dropping out of school, etc. In a Baylor Research on How Religion Affects Youth, it is said that, "In any community, some young people fail to live up to social expectations, while others [religiously impacted or something alone those lines] rise above their disadvantage and manage to "make it", in spite of the odds." It is true that many no religious people make smart decisions as well but when people see these bad decisions and immediately think of how they would be a disappointment to their religion and almost an embarrassment, they automatically steer clear of trouble. As teenagers, we see more independence and believe that we are invincible able to make any decision we want to make because we are in our "exploration" stage. The amount of teenage deaths has increased drastically since access and misuse of alcohol, drugs,and cigarettes has increased over the years.
For More Information:
Religion Comparing Charts: www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/25902.pdf
How Religion Affects Youth by Baylor Research
How Religion Affects Youth by Baylor Research
