*While I don't often reference religion in my blog it dawned on me this week that religion and God is right in the blog description. Because of that, I'm blogging about something that has recently offended me greatly and is pressing upon my character. If you don't like religious rants, stop reading now :)
A month or so ago I had a discussion with someone close to me about religion. During this discussion, I was forced to explicitly pin down my religious beliefs and tack a name to them. The problem with this was that I'm not expressly one religion. I grew up Christian and my beliefs are inherently Christian but there are other aspects as well. The biggest thing that makes me somewhat non-Christian is that I believe in many paths to God, in other words, I believe you can reach heaven and meet God through many religions.
This belief mainly stemmed from my experiences last summer living on my own with far too much time to my own devices. Up until last summer, I was steadfastly agnostic. Yeah, there was a God out there, I would say, but he was not the all powerful God. I wasn't against religion and I wasn't for it. But then I had the most amazing moment in my life and I realized there truly was a God. That's the summer I once again became religious.
And I say religious because I don't think it's necessary to pin a label on your belief system. The way I saw it, I believed in the all powerful God. I believe he lives in all of us, whether we desire it or not. I believe his son died for us in an attempt to save us from our own wicked nature. I believe that through sound decisions, constant prayer, faith and effort, we can all reach a moment where we have followed God's laws and guidelines.
But because I believe in many religions, because I believe you can be enlightened, believe in ghosts and spirits (both good and bad), and find God equally as easy in our meditations and surroundings as in a church, I am not guaranteed a place in the afterlife? To make someone feel ashamed of their beliefs, beliefs as raw and true as the fiercest love for a son and daughter or husband and wife, and push them to question those beliefs is perhaps the most morally corrupt and religiously incorrect action possible.
Interesting ideas and I love the way you expressed them:)
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ReplyDeleteI think we should all examine our beliefs from time to time. Introspection is a good thing. While my fundamental belief in a Christian God has not changed, some of my thoughts around that idea have changed over the years. No one should be made to feel ashamed of their beliefs and no one should be ever forced to change their beliefs to fit others. It has to come from the heart. Discussions about religion are often sensitive because they touch something that is so deeply personal. Not everyone is going to agree with you and not everyone will agree with me and neither of us should ever try to force our beliefs on the other.
ReplyDeleteWhile that is true it rarely happens, hence why the title of the post is Religion is a Public Affair. Religion isn't a private matter anymore than marriage, sexual-orientation, skin-color, etc. We always force our beliefs on each other whether we mean to or not. Remaining open-minded about religion is my goal. When someone shares their religious perspectives I want to invite them to conversation, not denounce them. I'm not perfect but I do try to not judge others' beliefs just because I know how offensive it is when I'm judged.
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