Please tell me if this religious essay answers … Describe an extracurricular activity or work experience that made you doubt yourself and explain what you learned. Could it be used for a personal statement or is it too specific?
While religion often brings people together it can instill doubt as well. Reinforced rituals performed at an early age can develop faith and form bonds but for me it was different. Before I was aware of my own reflection, I had a faith decided for me. My great grandmother along with my grandfather had it all planned out. I was miraculously decided a Catholic when splashed with lukewarm water. Though I have no recollection of that day, they considered my baptismal the first exceptional landmark in my life.
Several years came and went before my grandfather realized I had not completed my First Communion or Confirmation. He was quite upset and truly concerned for my soul. I was thus obligated to attend Catholic Right of Christian Initiation for Adults (R.C.I.A.) classes for eight months during my freshman year. I lacked control just as I had during infancy, however, I was conscious.
Though intended to enlighten and prepare me to become an initiated member of the Catholic Church, I found the sessions baffling and difficult. Many of the Catholic principles seemed either demeaning or strange. My naturally inquisitive nature did not waiver as I asked the Deacon many questions about Catholicism. I touched on several confusing or controversial topics at hand, commenting how consuming the Eucharist, representing the body of Christ, seemed cannibalistic, asking where the prehistoric Lascaux cave paintings fit in with Adam and Eves existence, and whether or not we, as Catholics, chose to ignore evolution. I was genuinely intrigued and interested in gaining a better understanding of Catholicism. Attending the classes soon proved both frustrating and emotional. My views of evolution and womens rights were inaccurate or sinful according to the Deacon and I began to doubt myself. Instead of maturing, it seemed as though I was reverted back to my baptismal service. I was not reborn a Catholic, but a displeased, wet infant.
My feelings were altered a year later upon reading the book The Lovely Bones; I was moved and reassured spiritually. I felt comforted that something as simple as a book could enable me to see faith as I imagined it to be, different for everyone. Reading The Lovely Bones gave me a better piece of mind and allowed me to come to terms with the feelings of doubt and confusion I experienced during my R.C.I.A. education. I find it beautiful that something as simple as printed text could reform such a complicated aspect of my life. In the words of Wilson Mizner, I respect faith, but doubt is what gets you an education. Doubting my faith made me reflect upon my beliefs and think how I will introduce spirituality to my own children, whether it is through words, art, music, or formal church experience.