I am not a religious person. I cannot confirm nor deny that there is a god, and therefore choose not to follow something (for life) that is not tangible to me.
However, I do not judge people that ARE affiliated with religion. I don't call them stupid, because they aren't . It is there choice if they wish to believe in certain explanations about the world around us.
For the most part, I can see the good in religion. For most people is gives them a way to live life. It teaches them from right and wrong (or is supposed to) and assures them that they have an inkling of knowledge about the unknown.
However, I also see the bad side of religion. People want to convert, to make EVERYONE believe what they believe. This is the area of religion that I hate. It is so judgmental, and denies people their humanity. They themselves are not humane for wanting to convert others to believe what they believe...which is why freedom of religion is so important.
But because these feelings exist with religion, it makes me want to stay away from it. Not only is any kind of defined afterlife or knowledge of the unknown not provable, but it can also ignite the worst in people, and make people hateful.
Religion, to many people, can act as a crutch. Some people seem so scared of the unknown, that they follow every rule of their book. They do exactly as they are told, by others who think they were told by the man himself. And then, because they are so deeply involved in this belief they fear other people's religious view and even judge or look down on them for believing something different.
What has made me want to write this post was a debate about where good morals come from. Many people in America believe the country is going down hill because of lack of faith and following in God. They are upset that God is being taken out of the public education system.
But since when was it the government job to teach your children good morals or about god? Since when was it the government's place to tell your children what they should believe in?
In my opinion, taking "god" out of schools is a good thing. It goes along with freedom of religion for everyone in the country. Just because your child believes in God doesn't mean everyone else's children do. A public educational facility should not be a place where any child in the country should feel unwelcome or uncomfortable because of religious affiliation.
How dare people blame "taking God out of schools" as a reason why children no longer have good morals. That, in my opinion, is absolutely absurd. If I had a child, I would raise them to have good morals, without god, just like I was raised growing up. It is the parents job to teach good behavior, morals, and what is right from wrong to their children, not the government's. The government has no business teaching religion in school, at the very least.
People need to open their eyes and stop blaming others for problems they create themselves. Americans who believe in God or who are Christians need to remember that not everyone has the same beliefs as they do, and should stop judging people or the government for how their children turn out.
I love that I do not base my ethics and morals off of religion. I feel like I get the best of both worlds. I live life not in fear, but in freedom. Growing up I have learned to respect everyone on this earth, not because of their race, religion, or what language they speak, but because they are all human and I have humanity.
It seems people who think god is the only answer to teaching morals have forgotten to practice their own preaching. Where are THEIR morals? It seems they have forgotten them in their fight for gaining humanity back in this country. While their fight has good intention, it is terribly misplaced and executed completely backwards.
Bottom Line: Religion to me causes more problems than it originally solves. And if you want your kids to go by your belief, that is YOUR job to teach them that way, not the whole country's responsibility. Have people forgotten what country this is? It's AMERICA, a diverse but equal nation!
