How Does Religion Shape My Identity

Cambridge defines identity as, ““the qualities of a person or group that make them different from others.” However, I believe that the word identity is quite abstract because it can not only mean different things to different people, but can also be expressed in different ways. A cultural aspect that has shaped, formed and influenced my identity is my religion. From birth, I have been brought up as a Catholic and this has played a large role in both my life and forming my identity. This influence can be seen through my personal experiences, values, morals and the ways in which I interact with the others around me.

Both the importance and influence of religion on me personally, is heavily due to being brought up in a Catholic environment that
has consisted of being born in Australia, a predominantly Christian country, being a part of a very religious family, attending a Catholic school and partaking in the weekly religious activity of attending church every Sunday. Living in a predominantly Christian country meant that I did not feel different being a Catholic and therefore did not know how it felt to feel different being a Catholic. However, when I was nine years old, my Dad’s work sent my parents and I over to Malaysia for a period of time, which was not only a predominantly Muslim country, but was a country that had an entirely different culture to what I was used to in terms of dress, language, religion and many other cultural aspects. When I first moved there, I felt that it was easy to feel different because I had moved to a place that at the time, had cultural aspects that were unknown to me. For example, Australia was a predominantly Christian country that had churches everywhere, whereas Malaysia was a predominantly Muslim country that had Mosks everywhere; therefore, moving countries gave me my first taste of what it felt like to be a part of a religion that was not the dominant religion of the country that I was living in.

The influence of religion in terms of my identity can be seen through my personal values and beliefs.
Due to the Catholic environment that I was brought up in, throughout my life I have been taught the core catholic morals, values and beliefs which today, align with my own personal values and beliefs. Two of the core Christian values are love and service which have become important values to me personally, as I strive to love and share love with everyone around me as well as help people whenever and wherever I can, even if it’s just opening a door for someone. These values have played a large role in shaping my identity because I identify myself as someone who exercises these values by being positive, happy as well as loving and appreciative of those around me. In addition, Catholicism places a special importance on family and the values within the family unit such as unity and respect. Throughout my life, I have placed the highest importance on family and respecting my family as they have been the biggest influence on my personal beliefs, opinions and views which have formed my identity and the person I am today. The large role of Catholicism in shaping my identity has clearly been seen through the ways in which religion has influenced my personal values and morals that contribute to my identity
today.

The influence of Catholicism on myself can also be seen through the ways in which I interact with the people and world around me. I have been lucky enough to not be treated differently due to my religion. In saying this, another key Catholic teaching is openness and respect towards others, which I follow by always having an open mind especially when it comes to different cultures, people and religions. Therefore, I have not treated someone differently due to the religion they are a part of or the cultural aspects that they have. Moreover, as well as being taught the catholic morals and values, I have also grown up learning the religious rules like the ten commandments which have largely influenced the ways in which I interact with the people around me. For example, one of these commandments is, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” This commandment refers to honouring the truth by always being honest and more importantly, not deceiving any of your family or friends. This Christian teaching has taught me not only to always be loyal towards my friends and family, but to also maintain open and honest relationships with those around me. In addition, another commandment is, “Thou Shalt no covet thy neighbour’s goods.” This commandment condemns feelings of envy, greed and jealousy in regard to what other people have. I live by this commandment by not only being content and satisfied with life, but also remembering to always be grateful for what I have and not focus on what I don’t have. Moreover, in times that are not the greatest, I always try and focus on the fact that I am extremely lucky to have food, shelter, an education and incredible friends and family who are so loving of me. The influence of my religion on myself has clearly been seen through the ways in which I follow and stand by religious rules which therefore influence my interactions with other people.

I believe that the experiences mentioned earlier would influence my work as a social worker quite largely in terms of being able to relate to potential clients that might be of a different culture or religion to what is commonly seen in the country they are living in. For example, that feeling I felt entering a completely different culture to what you were used, is I am sure what many other people from different cultures might be feeling in Australia and I could therefore use this experience to not only relate to potential clients that might be from a different culture, but to also make them feel more comfortable in a place that might be far from the culture that they are used to. Moreover, whilst in Malaysia, I attended an international school that compromised of people from all different cultures and religions; therefore, I gained knowledge and understanding about many other religions. I believe that this experience would influence my work as a social worker in terms of understanding my clients’ perspectives, values, beliefs and opinions.