Being too religious

Being religious is good because it gives people an aim and something to rely on. it's social and provides a sense of community.

The lecture looked at why "excessive religious behaviour" is bad. It was suggested that too much religion could be untrendy, too serious, restrictive, overly visible and can intimidate others.

The main issue, in my opinion, is religions place in society. it affects and is affected by many other aspects of society. It is linked to behaviour, equal opportunities, language, morals, social norms and stereotypes.

Another key issue is the move away from religion and towards spirituality. The statistics from the lecture show that church members are not only becoming less in percentage of the overall proportion but also in numbers or people. This could be due to people perceptions of it being unfashionable and repressive or the move towards rationality and individualism.

The final idea the lecture looked at were stereotypes of certain words linked with religion. The words that provoke strongest opinions include:

• satanist


• feng shui


• jehovah's witnesses


• buddhism


• cult

However I think one of the more personal ideas in the lecture was our opinions on what was acceptable display of religion. Practising religion, discussing religion, reading religious texts in public, wearing a symbol of your faith or wearing religious dress.

I personally think being religious is not bad in itself although I also think religion too often becomes an excuse for violence or abuse. I think symbols of personal faith are fine but forcing your beliefs on others should never be allowed. I am happy with my faith and beliefs, some may think I'll go to hell or its equivalent for those beliefs but they don't hurt anyone. Its my business.

I think this (BBC religion and ethics) is one of the best websites for learning about other religions.