“Religious”…Who me?

When I taught World Religions, I would always spend some time in the beginning of the semester defining religion. Before I did, however, I would ask students if they believed they were “religious.” Not surprisingly, practically every student every semester denied having any connections with “religion” or being “religious.” After some bantering back and forth in the classroom, I would propose this definition: “To be religious is to be committed to a set of values and beliefs that you hold most highly.” These core beliefs and values could include the existence of God, the achievement of personal happiness at all costs, extreme wealth and beauty, or owning the newest iPod with unlimited downloads. Regardless, everyone has a set of beliefs and values they are living for and some even have beliefs they would die for. Even if a student would argue “I don’t believe in anything or value anything!” I would respond “Then you at least have one most valued belief, which is to believe and value nothing!”