A Faithful Youth

There are roughly 4,200 religions in the world. Every faith follows its own set of rules and regulations and is interpreted differently by every being who follows them.  Out of those 4,200 religions the major world religions are:

• ·             Hinduism
• ·             Buddhism
• ·             Islam
• ·             Christianity

Within these categories are sub categories that range from extreme view/interpretations to more secular and loose interpretations of their beliefs. Between economic status, education, and religion, this category is the most difficult to interpret its affect on children’s limitations due to their variations amongst people. However, the fact that children have no voice when it comes to the faith they must follow in their youth makes it a viable category. Children are in a way forced to follow their parent’s/families faith, and face all the implications that come from following it as well.

Every religion has distinct characteristics.

In Hinduism, Hindus believe their position in this present life was determined by their actions in a previous life. Hinduism, therefore provides a possible explanation for suffering and evil in this life. If a person’s behavior before was evil, they might justifiably experience tremendous hardships in this life. Pain, disease, poverty or a disaster like a flood is deserved by that person because of their own evil actions from a previous lifetime. Hinduism gives a person freedom to choose how to work toward spiritual perfection. There are three possible ways to end this cycle of karma: 1. Be lovingly devoted to any of the Hindu gods or goddesses; 2. Grow in knowledge through meditation of Brahman (oneness)...to realize that circumstances in life are not real, that selfhood is an illusion and only Brahman is real; 3. Be dedicated to various religious ceremonies and rites.

Buddhists do not worship any gods or god. People outside of Buddhism often think that Buddhists worship the Buddha. However, the Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) is viewed by Buddhists as having attained what they are also striving to attain, which is spiritual enlightenment and, with it, freedom from the continuous cycle of life and death. Most Buddhists believe a person has countless rebirths, which inevitably include suffering. A Buddhist seeks to end these rebirths. Buddhists believe it is a person's cravings, aversion and delusion that cause these rebirths. Therefore, the goal of a Buddhist is to purify one's heart and to let go of all yearnings toward sensual desires and the attachment to oneself. Buddhists follow a list of religious principles and very dedicated meditation. When a Buddhist meditates it is not the same as praying or focusing on a god, it is more of a self-discipline. Through practiced meditation a person may reach Nirvana -- "the blowing out" of the flame of desire. Buddhism provides something that is true of most major religions: disciplines, values and directives that a person may want to live by.

In the Islamic religion, Muslims believe there is the one almighty God, Allah, who is infinitely superior to and transcendent from humankind. Allah is viewed as the creator of the universe and the source of all good and all evil. Everything that happens is Allah's will. He is a powerful and a strict judge, who will be merciful toward followers depending on the sufficiency of their life's good works and religious devotion. A follower's relationship with Allah is as a servant to Allah. Muhammad, a prophet, is considered the last prophet and his words and lifestyle are that person's authority. To be a Muslim, one has to follow five religious duties: 1. Repeat a creed about Allah and Muhammad; 2. Recite certain prayers in Arabic five times a day; 3. Give to the needy; 4. One month each year, fast from food, drink, sex and smoking from sunrise to sunset; 5. Pilgrimage once in one's lifetime to worship at a shrine in Mecca. At death -- based on one's faithfulness to these duties -- a Muslim hopes to enter Paradise. If not, they will be eternally punished in hell. Muslims believe that giving up one’s life for Allah is a sure way of entering Paradise.

Christians believe in a God who has revealed himself and can be known in a personal way, in this life. With Jesus Christ, the person's focus is not on religious rituals or performing good works, but on enjoying a relationship with God and growing to know him better.

Faith in Jesus Christ himself, the son of god, not just in his teachings, is how the Christian experiences joy and a meaningful life. Christians regard the Bible as God's written message to humankind. Whatever circumstances a Christian is dealing with in their life, the Bible teaches that they can confidently turn to a wise and powerful God who genuinely loves them. They believe that God answers prayer and that life takes on meaning as they live to honor him.

Which religion you follow usually depends on the area you were born in. So for instance, in the U.S the majority of people identify as part of the Christian faith (70.6%) meaning the majority of people abide by the rules of its religious texts and are allowed the freedom it stimulates. Every religion has its good and bad aspects, but, everyone has the opportunity to seek their rightful path nonetheless, for the period of childhood all one knows is the religion infringed upon them by their caretakers which have a lasting affect on the way they lead their lives later on.