Why Wear Religious Jewelry?
Do you ever find yourself wondering why it is a person would wear a piece of religious jewelry? Is it nothing more than an outward sign proclaiming his or her faith? Perhaps there's something more. Is there a deeper need being met here? Have you ever considered this...
Religion Fulfills a Need
For just a moment, put aside the argument about whether or not there is a God. The fact remains that civilizations (both primitive and modern-day) have some form of religion. Why?
It can be argued that religion was created by Man to fulfill his deep-seated need not to feel alone in the Universe. If you have ever taken the time to look up at the stars on a clear night or watched waves crash against a shoreline, you know what it’s like to feel like a (very) small part of Creation. During those moments, all of the issues and concerns that consume our waking hours seem insignificant, indeed.
Early man must have felt insignificant, too, when he looked up at the sky or observed the wonders of the natural world. He may well have wondered where he fit into the scheme of things. He also had a basic need not to feel alone, since being alone meant to be unsafe. He needed to belong to something outside of himself. At that point, a form of religion was born.
People Have Not Changed Much Over Time
We are not all that different from the cave man from long ago. We do like to think that we are much more evolved but we still share a number of characteristics with our long-ago ancestors. We have more technology, to be sure, but Man’s basic needs haven’t changed all that much. We all need food, shelter, and to feel like we fit in somewhere. Religion fulfills this last need.
Our religious faith gives us a sense of belonging and purpose. By embracing a particular faith, we believe that we are not alone in the Universe. If you believe in an afterlife, your time spent on Earth is not simply about whatever your circumstances are on this plane. It all matters. You matter. We all need to feel that there is some purpose or plan to our existence. Otherwise, we are no better than the animals we share the planet with.
Religious Jewelry
When we choose to wear a piece of religious jewelry, we aren’t all that different from the first human who wore an amulet for protection from evil spirits. We are not only identifying ourselves as members of a particular faith, but we are also reminding ourselves that we are not alone in the world. Someone or something is in our corner, watching out for us.
Let’s face it, we all need someone watching our back sometimes. We look to our concept of a higher being or greater purpose (whatever form it takes) as a protector in much the same way as our cave-dwelling ancestors did.