Hello Sam,
I want to know about religion. How much should i believe in it? Should i dedicate my life to religion? Should i prioritize religion above everything else? How much will it help my life to believe in a religion? Does religion help?
Thank you,
A Random Guy
Hi there,
Religion can be both personal and cultural and everyone is entitled to their own beliefs. Exploring what you believe in can help you to better understand yourself and this may end up with you having a strong religious faith or no religious beliefs at all. What’s important is that you feel like you’re living true to yourself and what you believe in.
Your family, school or community might want you to follow the same religion as they do. And you could be expected to practise a certain religion while you live at home or while you attend a faith school. As you grow older you might start to ask questions about faith and begin to form your own ideas about the universe.
You can learn about different religions from books, from talking to people you know who practise a religion or by visiting places of worship to find out more about what’s involved and whether you feel comfortable with the beliefs. Within each religion there will be people who have stronger views than others and it’s important to not feel pressured to join or do something you’re not comfortable with.
For many people if they follow a religion they don’t really believe in, it can make them unhappy or feel trapped – or if they don’t feel able to express their faith if those around them don’t believe the same things. Remember, you have the right to make your own decisions about what religion to follow and you can choose to not follow a religion at all. It’s all about finding what works best for you.
Belonging to a religion can help some people feel part of a community. Spirituality is a path some people take and they find similar benefits and sense of community from time in nature, meditation or playing sports.
Religion helps some people and not others. If you take your time to really think about what you think is true and what isn’t then it will help you to understand your beliefs better and to feel more confident about whether religion is right for you.
I hope this advice has helped. And remember, you can always talk to a Childline counsellor.
Thank you for your letter.
Take care,
Sam
You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
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