Religion, From a Non-Religious Viewpoint

I'm not religious. I guess I do share some Buddhist beliefs, but that does not mean that I visit Buddhist temples on a regular basis. However, if I had to say something, I'd say Confucianism, but that's not even considered a religion anymore, so I just end up telling people that I'm not religious.

This was why Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God frightened me. In this sermon from the 1700s, Puritan preacher Jonathan Edwards writes about how much God is angry, and how he is giving human beings another chance to join Christianity. His vivid yet dark presentation of hell left a strong impression on me, and I was struck in awe after reading through the sermon for my assignment. And apparently, the reaction was quite worse for the actual listeners back when Edwards preached the sermon; his audience interrupted him quite often, asking what they had to do in order to be saved. In other words, they had already been convinced by Edwards in to Puritanism.

Religion has its ups and downs. For instance, it can be a good place to rely on, where people can emotionally calm down. However, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God is a perfect example as to how religion can have a negative effect on people. It creates fear and by doing so gains more followings. The Nazis were the same. They created a certain public emotion and manipulated it to gain followers.

Like so, religion can be a great thing in your life. However, for those who are not religious, it can be a great threat in their own set of beliefs. For example, posts about God or Jesus Christ can be seen all over SNS, mocking those who do not accept the religion. In fact, Atheism is still very widely unaccepted in America. 7 states in the US do not accept Atheists in public office. I thought America provided the Freedom of Religion?

Maybe religious people nowadays are not as unaccepting as the Puritans are, but I still get the awkward stares from people when I go to church for some odd occasion, as if it's telling me that not going to church every Sunday is a wrong thing to do. I do not think I'll ever forget that stare.

"How awful it is to be left behind at such a day!" (Edwards , 100)