Sometimes, it gets to me...

This has been awhile in the making/brewing...

There are a few things I want to write about religion...
1. Addressing the "issues" people in my life have with religion
2. Why I am a religion major
3. What I want to do with it/my life- ie: my calling

1

It might seem silly, but sometimes I take for granted what I have learned in college. And how I have changed. How my mind has been opened a little more, and how my opinions and feelings towards religion have changed. Because they have. I guess it is silly of me, naive even, of me to assume that this has happened for the other people in my life. The people are negative towards anything religious in nature.

I wish they could see the beauty. The meaning.

I wish they would not be so hypocritical- Do not go around pretending to be some open minded, liberal person and then turn around an attack an entire community. Do not do this because your assumptions are based on a limited knowledge ( Mine is too ) and, to get to the point, the fundamental/evangelical Christianity isn't the only kind out there...Also, do not insult people who do believe in that kind of Christianity, or in religion at large, don't you dare insult their intelligence to me... Because you aren't only insulting them, you are insulting me as well.

Being a believer does not make you dumb. It does not negate your intelligence. Liberal, conservative...and anywhere in the middle. Some of the most intelligent people I know are believers. My friends are believers and chances are, you know people who are religious and smart as well. So do not....do not even go there, let alone jump down my throat, about this. It is ignorance. And it might seem contradictory for me to talk about tolerance, and seem intolerant at the same turn- but ignorance is hard for me to tolerate, and as far as I am concerned it should me. My ignorance and the ignorance of others.

That being said- being an atheist doesn't make you intelligent either. No matter which way you believe, it is not a marker of intelligence. So, do not make those assumptions. Well, you can make them, but just don't voice them to me.

If your natural reaction is to bash anyone Christian, or bash religion in general, I suggest you work on that.... Immediately. Not only will it be good for your inner workings, but somewhere down the line, if not already, you are going to have to make nice with someone you don't agree with- and trust me, even if you don't voice this immediate reaction, it plays out in your body language and face.

Considering all of that- I am working on my own negative feelings towards certain aspects of religion. Growing up a very Christian person, I am trying to get past my own personal problems, and the things that have made me mad, caused me anguish and pain so that I can see things through a new lens.

2

Well, simply, religion is what I am interested in. Having tried on 3 other majors in 2 years, religion feels the best. Broadcasting was a weak idea to begin with, and while PR is nice, I need something more. I can't seem to find any reason to remain a part of the English department as most of my interactions with them have left a very very bad taste in my mouth. Though, I am not just a religion major by default either.

When I got involved in Scope, and the department, I felt at home. Things just clicked. I picked up a minor my 2nd semester, and declared my major this January. Aside from this lackluster semester, I have been happy with my choice.

People.... my family... well, my family that knows that I am a religion major anyways, (ie- I haven't told my grandparents what my major actually is, because it would turn into a very drastic, UGLY conversation, as my theology VASTLY differs from my grandpas), can't seem to understand why I am a religion major....because I am not strictly religious.

I don't adhere to one path, and I don't think that there is any one truth- but many versions of the truth. That being said I do have faith- and I pull the aspects of that from many different paths/religions. In a quest to figure it all out- by being a religion major, I will learn more and engage a subject that is meaningful... something that is not empty and that is about something MORE.. Vastly more important than saving a reputation, and making tons of money, because that's not what counts. At all.

3

My calling- the word calling is a little tricky, as it can easily lead to the question Called by whom? and, my answer isn't god, but... a feeling that there is something I am supposed to do. Some work I am supposed to be doing... and, I think that work is interfaith work. Bringing understanding to people of different faiths so this world can be a little more peaceful.

Tikkun Olam- repair the world.
That is my calling.
My goal.
And however I do that- Peace Corps, Interfaith ministry, etc is what I need to be doing