Coexist

I was raised semi-Roman Catholic, what I mean by that is that even though I lived with my non-religious mother, I saw my dad frequently and he was very religious. I was baptized, did my first communion, confirmation, and confession. It wasn’t a big part of my life but it resonated with me. Not only was it time spent with my dad, it was a place of meditation, and time spent believing in something bigger than myself. Now I don’t go to church very often but I still have faith. I still believe in God, that my actions, whether good or bad can determine whether good things or bad things happen to me. I believe that when you die, that’s not just it, that if you lived a good life, you will be better off wherever you end up. I still pray to God to look after my family and friends, for good health, safety, and to all those who have past on (my granny, my grandma, my grandpa, my Auntie Stephanie).

During my school career, I did all the sciences; biology, chemistry, and physics. I learned about evolution and how the universe was created. Even though I understand how the Earth works, how humans evolved, that the world wasn’t created in 7 days, and that humans didn’t come from Adam and Eve, I still have my faith. I don’t think there is anything wrong in having faith in the stories that I was told in church, in believing that there was a man named Jesus who did great things and helped many people, that great acts occurred (a great flood, a plague in Egypt, etc.) as a result of the actions of the people living then. Some people might call those stories as nothing but fairy tales but they are much more than that. They provide a guideline to living a good life, they teach morals, they teach history, and they provide comfort, and the place we hear those teachings whether you call it church or a mosque or whatever, provides a sense of community. There is something comforting in knowing that if you live a good life, good things will happen to you as a type of “reward.” Some might call it karma or luck but I view it as a sort of divine justice.

Religion doesn’t set out to create divides, to create war or conflict, it is when people misinterpret their religion or twist it to match their ideology or when the religion can’t adjust to modern times/beliefs (ex: same sex marriage, women’s rights, not a necessary schooling element, etc.) that issues arrive. When this happens, people get defensive, problems arise, and people get heated. Right now, there just isn’t a fix for this yet. How a person chooses to live their life, who a person chooses to worship, shouldn’t affect others and you shouldn’t let it affect you. Don’t let it. Continue living your life. If you don’t want your kids to pray in school than don’t put them in a Catholic/religious school. If you don’t like the fact that women wear hijabs, well guess what you’re not that woman, you don’t have to wear it, you can’t control what that woman does, so don’t let it bother you. If it continues to bother you that much, then be the one to work towards change. If you don’t like the fact that the lineup for the Kosher hot dog stand is so long well then don’t stand in that line, go to a different kiosk to get your hot dog or eat something else. If you don’t like the fact that a person needs to pray at a certain time, don’t let it affect you, you’re not the one praying. If you don’t like the fact that some people chose to view holiday’s as they originally were (ex: Easter as a time to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ instead of a time to hunt for chocolate eggs), well you chose to spend your holidays however you like. It is their choice, their faith and all they need is the respect to continue that faith.

No matter what religion you believe in, what god or gods you worship, or if you don’t have any religion at all, I think we can all agree that we all want to live a good life, full of happiness.

Here are some quotes:

The purpose of religion is to control yourself, not to criticize others- Dalai Lama

In every religion their is love, yet love has no religion- Mesut Baranzay

The essence of all religions is one. Only their approaches are different- Mahatma Gandhi

#World