Breaking of Bread

Breaking of Bread

For many, religion guides our actions in life as well as ensures a peaceful co-existence, love, and harmony among us in so many ways. Religion has been a part of our society for a long time; we can date religion back to ancient Egypt through written records (historyworld.net). Religion should play a role in public life because many use their beliefs as a moral compass in day to day life, as well as our beliefs give us a sense of belonging and can answer questions about why things happen.

Jesus said, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). We know that only God is perfect and He has the highest standard of all. But Christians seek to be like God. They constantly strive for His high ideals and principles. Thus, as believers this gives us a moral compass. As we all try to figure out who we are and where we belong in this world, many of us find the answers in religion. In an article by Mail Online, the writer states that "American researchers claim a sense of 'belonging' made people more 'extremely satisfied' with life's lot "(Mail online, 12/7/2010, dailymail.co.uk/news). I am sure most of have asked the question, "why me" When something horrible happens to us, someone close to us or around us? In The book When Bad Things happen to Good People, by Harold S. kushner he says, "No one ever promised us a life free from pain and disappointment. The most anyone promised us was that we would not be alone in our pain, and that we would be able to draw upon a source outside ourselves for the strength and courage we would need to survive life's tragedies and life's unfairness." [page 133] I agree with Kushner, whether our support comes from our spiritual beliefs and or congregation as a believer I feel that I have a support system in place in times of need.

Eboo Patel wrote in his essay, "We Are Each Other's Business", "We live in a world where the forces that seek to divide us are strong. To overcome them, we must do more than simply stand next to one another in silence" (Patel, pg. 897). I believe what Patel means is we have our different beliefs and some would use this to cause friction. At the same time we are here in this world to make a difference and come together as friends no matter our beliefs. As humans we need a connection to others it is vital to our lives to belong and be accepted. Whether there is a great travesty in our world or in our families, we look for help and reasons why this happening. We seek guidance from our church, or fellow Christians in my case when I can't seem to find the answers. In worldly catastrophes like the tsunami in Asia, Laurie Goodstein points out in her article, "More Religion, But Not the Old-Time Kind", that the victims of this tragic event will be looking to churches,