My Views on Religion

*Disclaimer: Yes, talking about religion is controversial. I respect people's beliefs and their freedom to believe what they want. I don't care what you believe in, as long as it doesn't cause harm to anyone, or persecute anyone. This is simply an account of my experiences with religion, and no one should feel offended by my lack of belief. I do not need to be "saved" from anything. This account is also mainly about Christianity and Catholicism, as they are the religions I was brought up with and am exposed to the most, so where "religion", read "Christianity" for most of the time.*

 

Technically, I am still a Roman Catholic, as the only way you can stop being a Roman Catholic is if the church actively kicks you out. I attended a catholic primary school, went to church relatively frequently and completed many of the steps that symbolised my dedication to the religion, such as having my Holy Communion and Confirmation. I was brought up being read bible stories and singing hymns, putting on Christmas plays AND Easter plays in my school. Literally no part of my childhood made me question my faith.

When I grew up and started secondary school, I was exposed to the idea of atheism and agnosticism, concepts I had never heard of before. In the beginning, I couldn't understand how people couldn't believe in God. In the end, I couldn't understand how people believed in God at all. A drastic shift in my religious beliefs occurred over a couple of years. I started to refuse to go to church, feeling like a fraud in pretending I had any belief left. I felt guilty because I had confirmed my faith so definitely when I was younger, to go back on it just felt wrong.

Then I realised. They had got me when I was young, when I still wasn't really able to make decisions for myself. My Holy Communion occurred when I was about seven or eight; my Confirmation when I was about twelve. I shouldn't have to feel trapped in a religion I no longer believed in because of choices I had made (or people had made for me) when I was so young. I feel sorry for people who reach this point but have to force themselves back into belief due to pressure from their family or peers. I was freely able to admit I was an atheist as my parents weren't at all strict when it came to religion (I think they are both pretty much atheist now anyway).

I can understand that religion brings many people comfort, and if it is all they know, then it is difficult for them to see beyond it. Some religious people say "If there is no God, then how do you explain a sunset", but do we really have to attribute the beauty we see in nature to an unknown, supernatural entity? Is it healthy for us to feel judged in everything we do; is it right to spend our life dedicating ourselves to working towards an afterlife we don't know exists, instead of enjoying the actual life we have?

While I feel that my somewhat religious upbringing definitely helped to make me a moral person, I am also able to be open minded and liberal, and acknowledge that what I believe in may not be what is right. Some religious people (and non-religious, to be fair) for example, believe absolutely that gay people should not be accepted in society, usually because they have found some obscure passage in the bible that they have decided hints at God's homophobia. Some people reject people from their communities because they are gay even if they are a close relative. Some gay people go through so much turmoil in not being able to come out to their parents because of their religion induced homophobia that they try to "fix" themselves.

Of course, being religious doesn't inherently make you homophobic or close-minded, but in my experience, it makes you much more likely to be. You have been taught that only a particular lifestyle is desired by God, and anything that deviates from that is to be feared; these people are going to hell. I am not even going to start on exactly how many wars and acts of terror are solely caused due to religious beliefs, however extreme the beliefs may be.

Yes, if used right, religion can be great. It can be a reason for people to get up in the morning, a life's purpose. It can help people overcome terrible times in their life, or help them to celebrate the good. It allows people to become a community, and is absolutely the biggest contributor to charities, helping people around the world. I don't know exactly what it was that made me stop believing in God, but now in my mind, I can't fathom why a God would exist at all. That doesn't mean I can't enjoy the Disney film, The Prince of Egypt, or eat Easter eggs, or celebrate Christmas.