Kirstie Bullock

Professor Frederic Wilson

Intro to Humanities
10 July 2015
Journal Entries
Assignment 1
Spirituality seems that it is mostly focused on oneself, where religion believes in a
God. There are some people that have a religion that follow spirituality rather than
attending Church. This is mistaken for believing and praying at home. Spirituality can or
cannot be related to religion. In religion, the meaning of spirituality is to regain the
original shape of man. I learned on the side that each religion has one person who
represents the original shape of man. For example, Jesus Christ is the representative of
the original shape of man.
Religious believers go to Church and follow the text that their religion has
formed. The easiest way I can put it is that I am a Catholic. But others within my religion
would like me to attend Church. I can see in the spirituality because Church felt like the
same thing every Sunday. Spirituality and religion can go together, whether or not you
attend Church. I still believe in my religion but I also believe in spirituality. This would
bring about peace within oneself.
There are some that say you will only pass into Heaven by going to Church and
closely following the written religion. I have mainly seen this in my religion and the LDS
Church. But widely, Christianity does have the belief in Church every week to worship
God. For those that dont go to Church but want to continue their beliefs may stay at

home to practice. My father, for example, calls this spiritual practice. This is incorrect
because practicing your religion at home does not mean you are spiritual. The Ten
Commandments are a required teaching in the Catholic Church but it does not reflect
spirituality. So if you are practicing the Ten Commandments at home, then you are just
personally practicing the religion.

Assignment 2
At one point, I did think Christianity was more valid than other religions such as
Roman/Greek paganism or Shinto. The reason being is because it is detailed in the Bible
and there are other witnesses, such as his Disciples. But within my life, I have learned to
be tolerant of most religions. The one that is hard to tolerate is the LDS Church because
quite a few Mormons I have met are not tolerant to the difference in lifestyles. They were
even joked about as a cult.
They were said to be a cult by others because they believed in Polygamy, and that
coffee and alcohol could not be drank. There are some other parts that dont make sense
and they are the most serious religion, at least in my experience. They are labeled this
because of the majority that does take their religion seriously. Thats fine because I
believe that everyone can have his or her own beliefs. I have relatives that are Mormon
and they were not welcoming of my mother at first because she was Catholic, not
Mormon. Eventually they did welcome her, but this is one of the reasons that people
think the LDS followers are too extreme and a cult.
Trying to understand another religion is hard. Such as the Shinto, keeping my
beliefs in the back of my mind, it seems absurd. It does not have a simple moral code. So

how are people supposed to follow the purpose of the religion if its not outlined for
them? They have affirmations. I thought that affirmations were for personal use and that a
religion typically has something similar to the Ten Commandments. This seems like the
affirmations are similar, but it mostly feels like personal care, then to worship Kami and
the ancestral spirits. The love of nature is pretty interesting but imagining worship
Natural objects is different to me.
Paganism I thought was the strangest other than Mormonism. There is a common
impression that pagans literally sacrifice others for their gods. I would think that was
strange and more cult-like. But then they also have stems in different views like
pantheistic, polytheistic and animistic. It does not seem that this was popular anymore.
This may be why they may also have a stereotype against their religion.

Assignment 3
Religion tolerance is important nowadays. As previously stated, the LDS Church
is less intolerable (in my experience). They are known for their missionaries in other
countries to convert to Mormonism. They will even go for two years if I remember right.
At one point, I believe Catholicism was the same way but the Catholics I meet these days
are tolerable in others beliefs and practices.
I dont have experience in all of the religions, but when someone asks where Im
located (at work) and I say Utah, the stereotype for Utah is Mormonism and Polygamy. I
feel that regardless of religion, we all are subject to our own personal habits and beliefs.
If someone wants to curse, drink alcohol or even take the Lords name in vain, then that
is that persons choice.

Religion is a debate that gets very intense. For example, those who do not have a
religion are very critical towards those beliefs. My boyfriends mother and I are Catholic
but her children have no religion. They picked apart and criticized the religion, saying
that all the Bible is about is killing for God and starting wars. But they did not
understand, and probably not read, the Bible.
I dislike talking about religion with others because of that. They arent the first
but those who criticize our own religious beliefs can really upset someone. Thats why I
tolerate others beliefs, but I try not to criticize the religion itself. But other people out
there are not tolerant like me. There seems to be a movement towards religious toleration,
but what about those that choose not to at all? Well they are the hard ones to talk to about
religion.
Hardly anyone knows my religion now because I wont speak of it. Not only is it
against most employer policies, but also the feeling I get when someone speaks
negatively about my beliefs is anger. I experience raise blood pressure (or boiling
blood) and other inner body experiences related to anger. I can only imagine those that
are truly in to their religion feels when that happens. But this world hardly tolerates each
other, religious or not. This was proven through sexism and racism. Religion makes no
difference.