Use my religious training from Atonement

Essay- How can I use my religious training I have received from Atonement?

            I have been at Atonement for most of my life, allowing me to receive plenty of religious education. I have learned about topics such as: speaking up when we need to defend our faith and comforting people who have lost a loved one. Many people face the challenges of life not knowing what to do or what to say. That has to do with what religious training they have received, if any at all. I am fortunate enough to have that.

            While growing up, you think that there is only the one religion you practice. It isn’t until later, when you learn many religions exist, and not all of them approve of your faith. I know in the future, I will be in a position where I will have to defend or share my faith.   Atonement has played a big factor in telling me what God says and what I should do. God commands us to tell others about our faith in a gentle, loving, respectful way. He wants us to do this because he wants others to know heaven and to put their faith in him. If I don’t know what to say, I know to look in the Bible to point out their error, put them in the right direction, and teach them how to live their new faith.  If they refuse to learn about God’s saving grace, I can only pray that they will see what God has to offer. You can’t force another person to become the same faith as you. If I can’t find courage to speak out, I have the assurance that God will always stand by my side and help me speak to others.

            Going into high school, I will be challenged by facing peer pressure and dating. God has neither commanded nor forbidden dating and that it is mostly a way for us to look for a suitable marriage partner. They should be fellow believers and have God-pleasing qualities, mainly because we want to avoid dating partners who might lead us away from God and into sin. That is one of the many ways I could face peer pressure. Before we give into peer pressure, God asks us to consider what that person is asking of us. When we are tempted, we risk our very soul. Satan has ways of conforming to make it seem normal, such as a role model or a social pressure. Knowing how Satan works can help us know how to handle these situations before they happen.

            Most of the time, Christians don’t consider many of the extracurricular jobs we have. Atonement has taught me how to use my faith in watching TV/Movies, in choosing what music to listen to, and in spending or saving money. When watching TV shows or movies, we must view them in a way that brings honor to God. It is a gift of God. He wants us to safeguard our minds by testing and evaluating everything that enters our minds. We can’t let sin from TV/Movies take over our lives; it’s a recipe for disaster. As a Christian, I know to avoid those objectionable shows and warn others of their dangers. The same goes for music. Enemies of God can use music to mock God and glorify sin. We shouldn’t be overpowered by those types of songs and Christ’s love should compel us to make good decisions about the music we choose. Music should be a source of calming and giving thanks to God. It can also be used as a type of worship, one of the many ways we honor our Lord. As for money, we should always give thanks to God for the money we’ve earned. Hard, honest work brings glory to God. You then don’t have to depend on others and you get what you want in life. In saving money, God wants us to set some money aside to give it to the church and then give the rest of our money to the government, to provide for our family, and to help the needy.

When applying faith to ecology, we have to assess the roles God gave us: we need to be fruitful, increase in number, rule over all animals and creatures, and to subdue (wisely use or manage) the earth. In today’s society, people often blame each other for our ecological problems. It’s like a big giant blame game where one person says,” You caused this,” and another says,” This was caused because you did this,” and it’s a constant struggle. What is really at fault? Sin. Sin is the cause of ecological problems. The only way to solve our ecological issues in a Christian-like manner, is to show love for each other and generations to come. That will make the biggest difference.

            When people don’t trust in God as their savior, they are often tempted to turn away from Jesus. Satan’s number one goal is to destroy everyone’s faith in whatever religion, and we have to trust in God in order to defend ourselves against these attacks. If someone I know refuses to trust in God and is tempted by Satan, it is my responsibility to remind them what they’re risking and that turning away from Jesus is an unforgettable, unforgivable sin. If I am ever in a spiritual battle, I know now to turn to God and His Word in order to conquer Satan in that battle. The Bible can empower our lives, build us up, and give us eternal blessings. Knowing I have God on my side, I can feel more confident in spiritual and physical battles.

            People who are deliberately living a sinful life are in a scary situation, but it is common. Their self-destructive behaviors can be cause by almost anything that involves continuous sinning. My responsibility that I have been taught is to lovingly confront those who are sinning privately, one-on-one, using the Bible to back me up. If they decide to ignore my pleading and refuse to give in, I would have to bring one to two witnesses to speak with them and make their main goal repentance. If they still do not change, we have to tell it to their church and hope that they will see what sort of sin they’re committing. Those steps were taken from the famous verses, Matthew 18:15-17, some of the main verses every Christian should use as a guideline when talking to persistent sinners. Persistent sinners are non-believers, even if they say they believe. If they were true Christians, they would live according to his ways.

            In life, I know I have to expect hurt and death. In the religious training I have received from Atonement, I have learned that when grief or loss comes into our lives, we don’t have to carry the burden by ourselves. God loves us and cares for us. Death is only temporary and we should look forward to our wonderful, spiritual life in heaven. Our losses are there in order to mold and shape us into Christians that can help others. When another person you know has a loved one that has passed away, you need to be there for strength and comfort. You need to let them know that everything will be better in the end, God caused this to happen for a reason, and God is and always will be, on your side. The same goes for being deeply hurt. When someone you know has been deeply hurt, you need to give them hope. You need to tell them why God brings hurt in our lives. They can be summed up in these five reasons: make us realize our sin and bring us to repentance, build our faith to trust in him, tear us away from bad/tempting influences, steer us in the right path, and to treasure our savior and his love. Even though people hurt us, we should still forgive them and we shouldn’t come back with rage and anger. We should release them from their guilt and cease to remember their sin. That takes courage and strength. It’s what a real Christian would do.

            To sum everything up, Atonement has widened my outlook on religion and has been very thorough in what we are to do as Christians. The main thing we should never forget is how our savior loved and cared for us so much that he died for us, for our own sins. He has created a better place for us in heaven. The thing we are left with is what we should do until the time comes. We must love one another and help one another. One of the biggest things we should remember that can help us in any situation is this famous line, “What Would Jesus Do?”

        Hannah - Grade 8