Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Blog Challenge: Day Four

I'm glad I got some of my readers back! Check out the comments of my last post because there are some different views on the maryjane issue and my final thoughts too. :)

This next post is probably the hardest to put words to. I probably shouldn't write about it because I don't want to offend or upset anyone. But, since I told you all I support pot, what more harm can I do..haha. Again, these are my experiences only, but ask Daniel his anytime you want. :)

My Views on Religion

The most simple way for me to put this: I don't know.

Having been raised in a strict LDS household, I grew up believing I knew the truth because I was told it was true. That was that. It just was. My dad is super outspoken about his unwavering faith in the church. His dad, my Grandpa, has held pretty much every calling, from stake president to patriarch to temple sealer. The only time I ever see my dad cry is when he talks about his testimony. My mom is a convert and is equally firm in her beliefs, but less in your face about it.

We didn't have a house that had nightly scripture reading or Family Home Evening though. We knew what our parents believed, we all went to church every week and we knew what we were supposed to believe as well. It was all pretty straightforward. I loved going to Young Womens because I had fun.

I specifically remember when my first issues with church came up. I was 15 and upset because my oldest brother was allowed to go on a mission. He never should have and I knew it, and I hated that they let him go anyways. (I will interject that for both my older brothers, I now believe missions were the best things that happened to them at that point in their lives. They both ended up much better people because of it.) That's the first time I started taking advantage of not being "forced" to go to church.

I did continue going for the most part and even after I moved out, thanks to my wonderful roomate aka Becca, I even tried a singles ward. That might have been a mistake. It was a meat market and I hated the way the people there made me feel. I wasn't pretty enough for the men to look at or talk to and I was young and a threat to the women so they would just give me dirty looks. Church wasn't supposed to feel that way. That's when I stopped going altogether.

Now, even though I didn't go to church, I still believed in it. I fully planned on getting married in the temple. That was the only option in my brain.

Then it happened. I read a book. That book made me read another book and then the more I read the more questions I had. I've never been good at the term "that's just the way it is". I always want to know WHY that's the way it is. I want answers. From questions came issues. From issues came a new way of seeing things. And from that came the end.

I respect religion. I have said many times that if I were to go to any church, it would be back to the Mormon church. I appreciate the values it teaches. I respect where I come from and what my family believes. I won't say anything bad about the LDS church because there is no reason to. I have no problem with it. I think religion in one of the healthiest things a person can believe in. It gives comfort and peace to people.

All I know for sure, is that I don't know. I don't talk about religion only because I can't tell people what I don't know. I do know that for me, it doesn't play a role in my life right now. I am open to the thought that one day I might drastically change my mind. I just don't see my mind changing at this point. I am by no means a radical in any direction.

So there you have it. My vague views on religion.

Tomorrow's post might be the most depressing, but after that, we should be all positivity for the next topics. Love you all! :)

5 comments:

Becca and Billy said...

Well put friend :) That roomate of yours sounded like a saint. Where did she go wrong ;)

Becca and Billy said...

OMG do you remember that book they made us read when we went to the singles ward?? Lol, that was a joke.

Elizabeth R said...

She met some weird Italian stallion and he led her astray. Or so I hear.

But yes, i remember that book. It was horrible. Reminds me of something Dr. Laura would write.

COOLWHIP said...

I am active LDS, and I feel the same way about legalizing and taxing it. And I felt the same way about the Church before I started going again. Which was the time Trent (Daniel grew up with his family) and I hit our lowest point in our lives, and had our first baby. Trent's view was, if you're going to go to church, it may as well be the right one, and we wanted to raise our family in a place where they believed as we did. It was the best decision we ever made. We would not have survived on a different path. 12 years and 8 kids later, here we are. Well, 6 kids, 2 more in May.
Oh, and I'm glad you are updating your blog. You do a good job.

Andee said...

We have a lot of the same views. I'm more spiritual then religious. I don't think you can be told what to believe in, you just feel it.

You are amazing!