[Erin Rapacki]

The events that lead up to my religious beliefs (or lack there of) are numerous and circumstantial. I am still questioning whether or not I do believe in a superior being, but that’s not a question that I dwell on. I am part of no religion, and I am proud to say that. I may understand that there could probably be something that controls this world, but I don’t bother thinking about it or praying to IT.

I was raised a Roman Catholic and believed in everything that they taught me when I was younger. When I was 11 I started believing in science more than religion… and the fact that so many people in the world had so many different religions, and that each religious group thought that THEY were right, didn’t make sense to me. How could everyone be right if his or her beliefs are so different? So I just plain stopped believing. I still got confirmed three years later, but I used confirmation class more as an opportunity to learn about SOMEBODY ELSE’S culture and how the general population of my area may think of things.

One thing that came from this lack of religion in me… was a lack of religious pride. I notice that some people (NOT EVERYBODY), from whatever religion they are in, will argue non-stop with ANYBODY about why their religion is right and why others are wrong. Everybody knows that the holocaust, wars, battles, arguments, even petty conversations are started because of religious pride and persecution. I would NEVER try to convince to somebody that my beliefs are correct. All I ask is for other people to please NOT sit me down and try to convince me otherwise.

Because of this lack of religious pride in me… I have respect for everybody. I do not attach stereotypes to certain people of a religion, or vice-versa. I simply do not care. I’ll only judge on personality and character. If it so happens that the person does mention of what religion they are... I’d step back and say, (funny/not seriously) “why do I care?”

So to put it frankly… I disagree with religion because it makes some people go against the very morals that the religion thinks it is enforcing. It’s moral to respect everybody’s beliefs… but religious pride gets in the way. It is moral to respect life… but terrorists groups, who think that they are pushing their religion in a good way, kill people. It is moral to provide good care to children, but some (who are called ‘good people’) focus so much on their own little family that they shun all others away. Religion causes confusion, and in my opinion… the world would be better without it.