Why would a group or several people choose to do or believe the same thing without exploring other options? Could it be that they are following a tradition? Traditions are a long-standing way of how things or something is done. It could be a family tradition, a town’s tradition, a wedding tradition, a tradition of political affiliation. Whatever the tradition, it’s a pattern that is repeated by multiple people. The reason behind the tradition could not be fully understood, but it’s just repeated because it’s what has always been done.
Family traditions comes from the belief of the family members, that believe an action that should always be done a certain way. The tradition could be that everyone in the family is expected to attend the same alma mater, graduate, and enter the same profession. The family could have a tradition of how meals are prepared, to how one’s hair is styled, or down to how a person talks. A town’s tradition could be having a certain activity each year at the same time. Traditionally it’s not acceptable for the groom to see the bride in her wedding dress before the wedding. According to the tradition it would be bad luck if the groom saw his bride in her dress before the wedding. A political affiliation is how a group chooses to align their ideas, beliefs, and votes, just because that’s how everyone that they know votes.
The tradition followed does not mean that it’s right or it’s the only way something can or should be done, but it’s just how a certain group or segment of people does a thing. The thing that is done could span over several generations within one family of doing things or something the same way. A tradition is just what a person knows. They can only do what they know unless they decide to make a break and turn away from the tradition.
Without fully understanding the tradition, it could cause an individual to walk outside the will of the Lord. In the Bible, the reader is warned about following traditions. It reads in Matthew 15:3 “He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?” When a tradition is believed more than God’s instructions to his people, it could lead to trouble. Taking care to examine the reason why something is done is a good way to not allow a tradition to cause an individual to break away from the commandments of God. I Will, Will You?
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