Field Interview Report on Religion Perception by Various People

Issues and concerns of matter related to faith remain personal. It is hard to comprehend why people go to similar churches, use the same Bible but end up with the different understanding of the scripture. From a personal perspective, I do believe that knowledge begins with the ability to doubt, question and seek answers. A true believer will say that the fear of God is the beginning of knowledge, I still agree but with some element of doubt, why? Because there is a need to identify that which is beyond human understanding and that explains why I had to step out and conduct an interview with some individuals concerning God, the only Supreme Being that I'm aware of. This paper, therefore, reports an account of the interview carried out by some person within the age brackets of 12 to 30 years. It encompasses a harmonized summary of all the key questions under study answered by all the respondents giving particular unique highlights from specific individuals. The lead questions are explained as below:

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To begin with, the question of whether God makes mistakes or not got different responses but with a single baseline. God does not make mistakes. To the Earthiest the question poses a controversy as they can view and justify the other way. Some of the premises given for the thesis were as follows: To begin with, one respondent claimed that the Lord's Greatness, Power, and perfectionism disallow mistakes. (Psalm145:3). He pointed out that the Greatness of God cannot be quantified or compared to that of man. Secondly, the ability of God to comprehend many matters at the same time speaks volumes concerning his nature (Psalm 147:5). This fact according to respondent denotes that anything that someone may perceive to be wrong happens because of his will. For others to realize that his graces are sufficient and glorify his name. Thirdly, God is not a human to make mistakes. He neither lies nor changes his mind as people do, (Numbers 23:19). One respondent argued that many at times people question God, disregard his existence claiming that he has miscalculated their life, but the scripture affirms to everyone that He does well for the benefit of those who love him.

Secondly, based on the gathered information, the power in prayers were viewed as follows; Majority of the believers pointed out that it is never right for one to underestimate the power of prayer. This power is invisible, remains unknown and lies in the hands of all who are true believers. People may fail to understand many concerning prayers, but as one respondent said, it is a vehicle and a gift given to humanity by God to channel all information concerning our life to him (Omartian, 2008). It explains that the major way to communicate to God is through prayers. One said, the goodness that comes from one's life is not because of hard work or coincidence but because of the power of prayer. In addition to this, It is important to quote the act that prayer taps the power from heaven and directs it to the earth. Much concerning the power of prayer are captured in (Ephesians 6:18) (Henderson, 2011).

Thirdly, is the notion of God communicating to people has not been taken lightly by the Earthiest. Based on my findings, three respondents who claimed to have never been in church argued strongly against this. Believers responded by saying that it is the record that God spoke to Abraham, Paul, Moses, and many other prophets. It is, therefore, the nature of God to speak to his people (Omartian, 2008). The majority of the believers gave ways which I harmonized into five. First, one being through God's word which is the Bible. Believers are of the mind that, Bible contains all questions about challenges and issues that might affect their lives. It is, therefore, to believe that the Bible contains, by all means, the various ways and approaches to reach and for Him to get us. Second was the aspect of dream and vision. Respondents claim that all the hidden matters in the life of believers are majorly revealed to them through dreams. Thirdly, through other believers, who may prophesize a given phenomenon which may have occurred or is yet to happen? Fourth and fifth are through Jesus Christ and nature respectively.

Conceivably, the question of not attending church and believing in God had a lot of varying answers taking two positions of yes or no. In my realization, even the individuals claiming to be true believers took different positions which are very healthy as far as the interview is concerned (Spurgeon & Hall, 1993). For the Earthiest, they disregarded the issue of going to church complaining that the current church is rotten hence the need of an overhaul as far as spiritual governance is concerned (Omartian, 2008). Some believers took a stand position claiming that attending church services is considerably essential in strengthening one's faith. Other took a different view of the current church. Those who disputed the notion declared that the act of praying could be held anywhere for God is omnipresent and is always ready to listen to us.

The fifth task concerned how one came to join their current faith. Main reasons given for teaching were as a result of parental involvement, peer influence and the nature of school that one attended. Respondents claimed that right from birth they found their parents visiting the respective churches. For that reason, they had to follow the faith as it was the norm. Others who were converted and who managed to join other churches noted that it happened because of friends (Henderson, 2011). One said that it feels right to worship together as friends in the universal church. It makes friends understand one another better in all level not exempting the matters of faith. Schools and colleges also played a role in some respondents lives. Those who learned in Catholic institutions ended up mastering the ways of the Catholic Church and thereby becoming a new convert.

The sixth concern was about life-changing after having been saved. It proved to be the toughest question as most of the believers were just defending their position. They all said yes but with the different point of views. Of all the views on record, the striking one was that related to peace of mind. One claimed that, since the day he got saved God has always taken charge of his life. He worries less and leaves everything to God (Omartian, 2008). Finally, how often does one seek answers from God, one can only find an answer from God when there is a need. The respondents claimed as much as they are troubled or are short of knowledge when entangled with issues requiring decision making. This matter comes ones in a while, but God is viewed to be ready to intervene anytime.

Analysis

Ideally, Marcias stages of identity assist in explaining the disparity in views especially about the ages of the respondents, for example, those belonging to the ages of 12 to 15. This group falls under Marcias diffusion category. Most of the interviewees here belong to their current faith because their parents are there. They have no clue about their religion, they only attend services but cannot justify why! The second identity stage is that of foreclosure. This category belongs to the individuals who are in their current faith but have never been able to explore any other options. They are short of information concerning other existing principles. This category mainly captures responses from the individuals whose age were falling between 15 to 20 years of age. The third stage is that of Moratorium, Individuals falling here were mainly those in 20 to 25 years based on my analysis. They are aware of other denominations and are exploring them but have not yet made a decision as to the one that suits their beliefs. Finally the achievement stage. Those in the category of 25 and above may fall here. At this juncture, one has been fully convicted of his faith and knows what he/she wants. Individuals here have explored all the available options and have finally made a decision.

Conclusion

In summary, issues pertaining to religion are subject to philosophical questioning. People will never agree on all issues even those that are directly linked to the Bible. From the analysis, many seem to believe that God does not make mistakes despite the challenges they experience. The majority also believed in the power of prayer though with the mind that they don't have to pray in churches. Matters of salvation changing life is purely psychological and individual.

References

Gohson, G. F. (2010). The practical Christian life. Longwood, Fla.? Xulon Press.

Henderson, D. (2011). Transforming prayer: Everything changes when you seek God's face. Minneapolis, Minn: Bethany House.

Spurgeon, C. H., & Hall, R. (1993). The Power of prayer in a believer's life. Lynnwood, WA: Emerald Books.

Omartian, S. (2008). The power of praying through the Bible: Book of prayers. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Pub.