Reflection: Individualized vs Community

Throughout the past few classes we have read articles that have made us question whether religion is becoming more of a community or more of an individual aspect of life. I have found a few different articles very interesting and it makes me believe that the answer is very personal and changes depending on who you ask. For some people, it strengthens their faith when they are around others that are pushing them to grow and encouraging them. For other people, it helps if they have their own chance to be spiritual. I read “Redefining the Boundaries of Belonging” which talked about the popularity of people being able to watch sermons from America all around the world. The example connected a church in Boston to a group of people in Brazil. The group of viewers in Brazil has formed a community around this. I believe that this concept is something that is very modernized and I do not feel that this would be my ideal situation for community but if it helps them, then that is great. The Individualized aspects of religion were stressed in the ideas of spirituality. Being able to have a sacred connection on your own could be hard for someone else to understand but for you it is very special. This can be seen in different ways, for some they find a connection like those that are from the article “Gospel Hour.” The thing about Gospel Hour is that it is a community but they have very impactful moments alone. Each of these very different perspectives on religion support the fact that religion has the chance to be either official or non-official.