There are a lot of touchy subjects in the world, and chief among them is religion. I have my own views on the subject, but that’s not the purpose of this blog. Eventually, I’ll write one that gives my views on the “freedom of religion” we have in this country, but until then, I’ll move on to the point.
The question asked by Plinky is “Would you describe yourself as spiritual, religious, or something else?”
My answer: I’m religious with more spiritual leanings.
My religious beliefs are rooted in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. My grandfather was a preacher in the AME Church, and when I go to visit my family and friends, I go to the church he built – well, one of them. He was pretty good with that. Anyway, I would go to church with him, and I would participate in many of the programs they had, and I even went as far as playing the piano for his last church. Granted, I wasn’t very good at that point in my musical development, but I loved my granddad, and my grandmom made me do it. So there. Plus, they paid me.
I got a lot of my personal beliefs through the church, but life has a way of taking those beliefs and molding them in a different light. You live long enough, you begin to see things a bit differently. Certain things begin to make more sense than others, and some beliefs are discarded for others. Granted, there are exceptions for every rule, and one person’s experiences don’t dictate the world as a whole (or, they shouldn’t), but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to become more flexible instead of being more stoic. So, certain things that I believed before, I don’t now, and vice versa. Does that make me a bad person? I don’t think so, but everyone has their own opinion; your mileage may vary.
I’m reminded of one of the old USA Networks commercials – well, not really that old – about what type of person their stars are. One of the topics they broach rather quickly is religion, and Reshma Shetty (who plays Divya Katdare on Royal Pains) says, “I believe in all paths to God.” This is where I think I am at this point in my life. I’m probably always gonna be a Christian, and I plan on raising my child in church, but once he/she is of age, they will have my permission to make up their mind on which path to follow.
After all, it’s more fulfilling to make up your own mind than to have someone do it for you.