Religion

I have wanted to write this blog for a while, but have resisted due to the fact that talking about religion is such a volatile and personal conversation to have, I have put it off.....that is until now.




There is so much going on in this world that has to do with religion. Most wars are fought over it, most violence is caused by it, and much of the hate in the world is because of it. How ironic is that! Something that is supposed to be about compassion, love, and kindness, is causing much of the pain and sorrow that exists today and throughout time.





I was not raised with any religion, but was allowed to go to whatever church I wanted to go to. Throughout my childhood, I investigated many different religions. Catholic, Methodist, Episcopal, Baptist, Buddhist, you name it, I was there. It gave me a very different perspective than what most people have.





What is more normal for most people is that they are raised by parents who have a religion that has been passed down through generations of their family. Catholics are raised by Catholics, Mormon's by Mormon's, Jewish by Jewish, and so on and so on. People are told from a young age that their religion is the "right" one, and that other religions are not.



In a way it is a sort of a brain washing. A Muslim child will be told that their beliefs are the ones that are right. Why would they think any different? It is the same with White supremacists. They raise their children to hate others and feel superior to all other races, how could they believe otherwise? Catholic children believe that their religion has the correct answers. How can these children grow up thinking any different when they have been taught to believe in the way of their religion.



A study came out last week stating that the group of people that are the most knowledgeable about religion are atheists and agnostics. Very interesting. These people have studied all religions more than others and have come to an interesting conclusion.





I respect anyone who believes in a religion that is about love, compassion, kindness, caring, non judgement, and being a descent human being. I do not understand people who claim to be religious but practice hate, judgement, ridicule, violence, and bigotry.




If you are going to call yourself a Christian, but continue to hate and judge others, I would suggest that you refer back to the teachings of Jesus and understand that those things are not what Jesus taught.




If only the world had one religion....a religion of love, kindness, compassion, tolerance, caring, benevolence, integrity, and generosity of the spirit. What a world that would be. You know that most religions are based in a foundation of those things, it has been man that has added all the garbage to them.




I hope that I have not insulted anyone by having this conversation. I only wish to open peoples eyes to how ridiculous it is to have all this hate and violence come under the guise of religion. I prefer to call myself a spiritual person who has tried to find love and compassion for anyone, no matter their faith. I have a more difficult time with those who practice religions that teach hate and separation, but I am working on that, and probably will be working on that for a long time.



Till Thursday,
Queenie