Yesterday in class we talked about something that I just can't stop thinking about:
Religion is a legitimate form of identity that everyone gets to choose. It is a choice. It is not common for a lot of identity forms to be able to be chosen. But, religion defines a person, and it is one of those parts of identity that isn't always rooted in your childhood.
I tried to think about what other identity factors are "choosable".
Family is not -- you don't get to choose your family members, but you do get to choose how you identify with them and also how much you include them in your life (at least when you're older. Children don't really get a choice).
Race is not a choice. It is a physicality that cannot be changed really; it is an almost-forced identity.
Your environment, such as small town or big city; lots of siblings or only child, school environment, etc, are not really chosen by you. Yes you can change how much you want your "history of environment" to be a part of you, but part of it will always be with you.
You get to choose your friends, yes. They somewhat identify you.
I guess that for me, religion is something I grew up with. I grew up going to Lutheran church. But once I was really old enough to choose what faith meant to me and develop my views, I decided to keep religion as a part of me. And it really is a big part of who I am. I guess I have chosen to let it be part of my identity because that's what is important to me.
Steph,
ReplyDeleteOf course there are also ways in which others influence this choice and religious identities that are more or less amenable to this view which grows out of Protestant Christianity and the Enlightenment. It is much easier to become a Baptist than an Hindu, for example.
LDL