I remembering hearing about Justin Bieber doing an interview where he said that he isn’t religious but he is deeply spiritual or something like that. This lead me to take stock of my own life and to try and figure out, am I religious or spiritual? Do I even believe that there is a major difference?
Attending church last sunday, I was wearing shorts and a normal top and so was my mother, now we’re talking about a very progressive ‘hip’ church here so this isn’t something shocking, yet at the end of the service people, I suppose the more conservative pearl-clutchers, were still talking about us and being judgemental. Obviously these people didn’t get the just of the service or the whole christian ideal of not being judgemental or anything, but it brings me to my problem with Christianity in the 21st century, it seems that people believe by going to church for an hour and a half once a week they are ‘good’ people. I mean what really defines a good person? Is somebody who doesn’t go to church but dedicates their lives to helping others a ‘bad’ person, simply because they do not go to church? It’s all a tad confusing but what really gets me is that, in my experience so far the people who are the most pious are actually the biggest hypocrites because what they do behind closed doors would shock the preacher man. As I once heard, standing in a garage doesn’t make you a Cadillac so honey going to church doesn’t make you a Christian.
I know that religion, like politics is a touchy subject, in fact they are the root causes of conflict in this world, even destructive wars. I would like to say that I don’t think we’ll achieve world peace at any point in the foreseeable future because I don’t know honestly if that’s possible for us as humans. Until we can truly understand and accept everybody’s differences for what they are, be it religion, race or any other defining or discriminating factor,we’ll never be able to have complete harmony. I for one pray for world peace, then again I also pray to meet Justin Bieber.
I still haven’t quite answered my questions but this year I am going to search for answers, maybe I’ll find them in a temple or a church. Wherever I find them I know I’ll learn a lot about myself on the journey to the answer, whatever it may be.
Here’s a challenge, this year learn about one other religion or culture or country in-depth. Explore, learn, discover. What kind of a life are we living if we don’t challenge ourselves to be better in this terrible world?
Love & Other Misadventures 