Keep Your Faith

We all want to be happy. We all want to be loved. We all want to make sense of this existence.

When I was a kid, I was constantly shamed for not going to catechism.
You see, I was never baptized. So, according to my christian friends, I wasn't born in the eyes of god. That's a heavy thing to throw at a child. But to kids, that's different and it's near impossible to understand.

My mom's family is Irish Catholic. My grandfather is devout. He proudly attends mass as much as he can. He's also one of the smartest and most empathetic people I've ever known. Even so, he's done a lot of external recruiting for Jesus since I can remember. Whether it was the Jesus coloring books or the "You're gonna need something to lean on someday" lecture, it was very clear to me that he wanted me to buy in to what he bought into.

With no disrespect to one of the most important male influences in my life, I don't buy it.
I never will.

Here's why:

In my studies of spirituality, religion and life, I've learned that religion is a way that people apply meaning to their existence. It builds hope, understanding and meaning that may otherwise not exist in a person's life.

There are a lot of things I don't know and I probably never will.
Is there a god? What is this life all about? Why am I here? What's the deal with airline peanuts?

Here's one thing I've concluded: religion is not for sale. Stop trying to sell it to people.
If it works for you, be happy with that. Let people solve their own riddles.
We all have different riddles and different answers.
The world's problems stem from people trying to impose their will on other types of people.
Look at history. Fuck, look at CNN. It's still happening and it's ugly.

I argue if you need to recruit for your god, he's not doing his job.
You shouldn't be sending evites (Je-vites?) to people. It's not a party. It's for you.
Find your own meaning. Allow people to find their own meaning.

We live in a world where we need CONSTANT validation. If your god is real to you, shouldn't that be enough validation spiritually?

I am not anti-religion. I think to understand religion is an important part of understanding people.

We should have not only a separation of church and state but also a separation of your faith and mine.
I support your religion as long as it doesn't bleed into other peoples' lives, rights or livelihood.
I don't care how you keep the faith, just keep it.

#djblove