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Ultimate Concern and Religion

Wainwright begins his passage with several definitions of what he believes Ultimate Reality really is; and, he also goes into detail about what religious people believe the concept of "religion" is.

 One of Wainwright's most simple definitions states, "Religion is thus rooted in human needs, yearnings, and experiences. The strength of conviction, hope, and commitment varies considerably from person to person." Picking this apart a bit, I have always needed religion for my own personal benefit, and it has mainly come through experiences; therefore, I would have to agree with him. But, as we know, with all of us being human, every single one of us is going to have a different viewpoint about how much 'hope' or 'commitment' we actually need to be religious, and I feel that as we grow older we learn this more and more about ourselves, especially from family, friends, and those we care about most. Whether we need prayer, church, bible study, or whatever once a day or year, I feel it can take root from how we were influenced by those around us as we grew older.

 Another statement Wainwright makes, about the object of ultimate concern, says that, "experienced as overwhelming and supremely valuable, thus demanding total surrender and promises total fulfillment." (89) So, the assumption he is making and having the view of ultimate concern, I can conclude several different things. If one has a religious attitude, like myself, then having that total commitment to God and overwhelming life experiences, such as embracing life with total emotion and desire to seek good in everything, I feel that this could equal the promise of total fulfillment that he is trying to say in his phrase. So, ultimate concern in my opinion is simply making one's life so fulfilled by something one truly finds value in and demanding of oneself discipline in that to seek total fulfillment.

Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 14, 2017 at 10:28 AM

    I agree with your statement that all humans will have a different attitude towards how much commitment is needed to identify as 'religious'. I also like how you bring up those who are religious and totally committed to god should find value and be fulfilled from the demands brought about with said beliefs.

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  2. UnknownSeptember 14, 2017 at 5:16 PM

    Your focus on the concept as to why humans seek religion is very connected to the idea of Personal perfect reality, which I like becuase it focuses on the intrinsic desire and need to fufill oneself with something bigger than themselves. Personal yearnings in the moment of consciousness seem important, in my opinion, and can be just as focused on as the whole consciousness of this world, so individual needs are a part of creating a perfect reality within the world as well.

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