How My Religion Affects My Everyday Life

I (try to) wake up early in the morning, because the scriptures and leaders of my religion recommend it.

I pray, read my scriptures, and write in my journal every morning. Members of my religion are taught to pray and read our scriptures so that we can ask God questions and receive answers. We're encouraged to write in journals to create a personal history for ourselves and our posterity.

I don't drink coffee with my breakfast, because in my religion we believe that coffee is addictive and very bad for you.

When I dress, I wear some types things and not others. Members of my religion believe that men and women should dress a certain way in order to show respect for themselves, for God, and for those around them.

I groom myself. It's recommended by my religion that we keep our appearance tidy, for various reasons. I was never all that interested in brushing my hair or wearing makeup as an older child or younger teenager, but I got onboard the grooming train when I realized that having a tidy appearance increased my self-confidence, which, among other things, increased my ability to feel the Spirit throughout the day.

I go to work. When I'm at work, I try as much as possible to focus on my work and try my hardest. To me, it's a matter of honesty and integrity, values that were taught to me by my religion.

When I talk, I don't use words that some of my coworkers use. I avoid talking about subjects that I feel are inappropriate. I try not to say anything that I would be embarrassed to say in the presence of God.

When I eat, I eat fruits and vegetables. I don't like them, but I know they're good for my body, and I've been counseled to take care of my body.

On my way home from work, if certain songs come on the radio, I turn them off. I was taught in religious classes as a kid that songs about not-so-good things can get those not-so-good things stuck in your head. As an adult, experience has only confirmed that to me.

If I watch TV or read a book after work, I try to avoid things that are vulgar or inane. That's hard to do in today's world. But I was taught to avoid not only some kinds of songs but also other, similar media. I understand why now. What you take in is what you put out into the world.

At some point in the day, I exercise. I like exercising far more than I like eating fruits and vegetables, but again, it's only something I started doing because the scriptures counsel me to care for my body.

I might go out and do some kind of activity. Usually activities involve people. I tend to not like people very much. So whenever I am kind to someone, or smile at them, or help them with something, it's because I know that they are God's children and He wants me to...not because I feel naturally inclined.

When I go to sleep, I (try to) go to bed fairly early in the morning. Again, this has been highly recommended to me by various religious sources. And I tell you what, I've learned for myself that it really feels a lot better than going to bed super late and arising super late.

Over the course of each day, my religion influences everything I do and every decision that I make. As you can see, it influences how I dress, what I eat, how I talk, how I work, how I interact with others, how I entertain myself...and the things I've mentioned in this post only scratch the surface. That's why I get so confused when people say that religion should be kept out of politics. That I should leave my religion out of my politics. (Yes, I do have some politics. Even though I try to avoid politics as much as possible, I still hold some strong political beliefs.)

I can't leave my religion out of anything. It's not like some accessory that I take off and put on at will. It's an ingrained part of me. It will, and should, influence any political decision I ever make. I can't help but feel that, when people say religion shouldn't be reflected in politics, they are ignorant of what religion is. Religion is supposed to guide you in everything. That's what religion is for.

Of course, not everybody is a member of an organized religion, but everybody believes in something, even if the something that they believe in is not believing in anything. Some people, in my experience, have actually made their politics their religion. How they dress, what they eat, how they talk, how they work, how they interact with others, how they entertain themselves, and much more, is all reflective of their deeply held political beliefs. Wary though I am of most political things, I try to respect those who use politics as the framework of their belief systems. I hope they wouldn't ask me to leave my belief system out of my politics. That would be as preposterous as me asking them to leave their politics out of their belief system.