Religious Service Research Paper

As an agnostic atheist living in a relatively secular family, I currently do not attend any house of worship regularly. Even earlier in my life when I was a Christian, going to church as a family was a rare occurrence as both of my parents are very secular and essentially have no public religious beliefs. Although I have gone to many different church services and masses over the years, they have all become less and less meaningful to me as my life has advanced. At my elementary and middle school, Grace-St. Luke’s, the students were forced to go to an Episcopalian service twice a week and many others went there on Sundays. I also attended churches and masses with highly religious relatives like grandparents and uncles, who would not tolerate
Most prominently, people with religious beliefs may gain some gratification, pleasure, and happiness from participating in the worship of their choice. I have also heard many times that the community of church-goers and laypeople provides a great resource for assistance in problems, finding friends, and making connections that is challenging to find outside of school and work for many people. Although the music and artwork of religious ceremonies has always been a favorite part of religious ceremonies and services for me, their beauty could never entertain me throughout the entirety of a religious service. Instead of hating religion and trying to discourage people from actively carrying out their beliefs, I think my personal view of “live and let live” in this area provides a bit of nuance to the situation considering my agnosticism and the agnosticism of many theists. Even though I personally find the contradictions and logical inconsistencies of religious belief too powerful to outweigh the sense of purpose, hope, and community that spawns from religious belief, I know that many people do not feel this way, and, as I am a utilitarian, I regard their happiness as more important to me than policing their beliefs for accuracy. I think that going to diverse religious services would probably be more beneficial than going to the same place every week in terms of the ability to empathize with others and the opportunity to find the best religion for someone. Even among the irreligious, considering various sects, denominations, and belief structures may help one find true happiness and logical consistency. In terms of my own personal experiences, I do not enjoy going to religious services, but have come to appreciate the care and passion that others who truly believe