Sleeping In on a Sunday
A 17 year old female speaks out about her diminished feelings toward her faith.
I gave up on religion a long time ago. It’s funny because this year I took the same course, world religions. I wanted to understand all the religions, know how they work. But I don’t think any of them are true. Part of me likes to hope, but the other half knows that there is too much science in the world to kill all hopes and aspirations of religion. I admire those who have the strength to still believe.
I used to be a pretty good Christian. Pretty good in the sense that my parents forced me to go to church while they slept in on a Sunday morning. I always felt uncomfortable, the older I got the less sense the whole situation made. My church wasn’t very strict either, it was a United Christian Church, full of people with plenty of problems. I admit I probably did enjoy it for awhile, it got me out an about for awhile. But I guess it all changed when my brother moved home.
He’s an avid atheist and his jokes had a lasting impression. He believes in nothing at all… I’m not so sure I do, but I’ve lost most of my faith. I guess I’m not “strong enough.” I’ve had too many really shitty things happen to me to still believe that there is something greater and smarter above all of us. I accept spirituality, and the some of the ideas behind religion; being a good person and such. But the rituals and Sunday mornings most certainly are not for me.
There seems to be a common mentality demonstrated in this post, and other posts, connecting the presence of ‘bad’ in our life to the absence of a higher being. Misfortune occasionally causes one to question one’s religion, whether God is “doing His job,” or His very existence.
The key to loss of faith in many cases is endurance of unfortunate events. It is a common misconception that God’s existence equals a trouble-free life. Although, if one considers a fundamental teaching in many religions, one must suffer before achieving spiritual enlightenment. For example, think of Job’s suffering, Moses's exile, and Buddhist principals.
June 20, 2006 at 1:10 am
I must agree, just because bad things happen does not mean there is not a greater power. Odin also sacrificed himself for he knew in the end it would be better. He sacrificed his eye for eternal wisdom. Although, I also think it is impossible to believe in nothing at all. I think that if you did not believe in anything, you would not have a will to live. That could be just me though.
July 3, 2006 at 11:18 am
You know its tough to say what defines a good Christian, people have different ideas about what the true meaning is. My theory is that as long as you have a belief in a God and don’t deny Him or Her then you are doing you part. All that extra stuff like church is meaningless, many people don’t go to church for personal reasons. Take for example myself, I stopped going because I hate the priest there. Yeah I said it, I hate that priest. Furthermore, organized religions are being used as a krutch to make ones purpose legitamit. I don’t recall God truly being a violent person at all. The teachings of God teach people to not be warlike and to share. Notice how Christ’s name was the Prince of Peace, not the Prince of Conflict. The best quote ever made on organized religion came from That 70’s Show.. It was by the character Steven Hyde and it goes as follows….. “While I respect the Judeo-Christian ethic, as well as the Eastern Philosophies and, of course, the teachings of Muhammad, I find that organized religions have corrupted those beliefs, to justify countless atrocities throughout history. Were I to attend church, I would be a hypocrite.” -Steven Hyde.
July 13, 2006 at 10:35 pm
I belive a higher power isn’t necessarily the same for each of us. But rather what we percieve it to be. That power can fuel our individual beliefs, even though we are all so different. But it’s this fuel that fundamentally can connect us all in a sence that we are driven by belief in belief itself. Thus making our individual viewpoints essentially linked