Seeing children at church has always bothered me, and not just because their incessant wails are annoying but because they understand absolutely nothing about the sermon nor do they have the mental capacity to comprehend the existence of a higher power. It's like inviting a true-blue Mauritian to a Canadian hockey game expecting him to understand and love it. When I was a young'n, church was a place I went to because my parents didn't give me a choice. It was a two-hour long prison of boredom. Church became something my parents did, and in turn, it became something I did. Not because I went there of my own volition but because I was taught that missing a single mass would mean dangerous consequences. Like hell.
Let's get to it:
I was baptized before I could string mama and dada together with my newborn mouth. I was assigned godparents before I could stack wooden blocks during playtime. I was prayed for and brought to Catholic churches from the time I was born. When I was old enough for the first grade, I was enrolled in a strict Christian school with honk-if-you-love-Jesus teachers for the next decade. For 16 years I never skipped Sunday mass, every morning for 11 years I would have 20-minute devotions and weekly chapel at school, and for 2 years I had weekly Friday bible study sessions. My parents made sure that I received proper Catholic education and not just the Protestant teachings my school was famous for.
Like many of my friends, religion became a routine; something ingrained in us from such a young age that it would feel odd to not have it around. We took comfort in knowing that there was a higher power that we could rely on during times of trouble, thank for earthly blessings, and blame for all the pain. I noticed that many of my friends and even family took in religion the way they would drink water after a hot day. I, on the other hand, have always seen religion through goggles of skepticism. I challenged every teaching and every notion. I asked questions when everyone else sat quietly and consumed the words of God. I refused to live my life and follow rules that I didn't agree with. It wasn't until a few months ago that I realized how so many 'religious' individuals know very little about the religion they practice everyday, and how for them, religion has become a safety blanket or a social gathering with friends. Without it, they would feel alone, lost, and uninspired. Just try to ask a random person at church what they think about the Inquisitions and watch them at loss for words. If you want to proselytize others into Catholicism, at least have some back up answers to all the horrible things the Church had done over the last millennium.
I believe this is because so many were raised the same way I did to the point where taking off their I Heart Jesus badge would mean social exclusion and a loss of identity. Just like how I am (literally) not allowed to be anything but Catholic, many others are on the same boat. We were 'born into sin', and our parents did their best to reverse that. I understand that as parents, they have the duty to steer us in the right direction, but man's organized religion is not necessarily the 'right' direction. Those who aren't strapped to a pew every Sunday at 7A.M. won't always turn out to be a psychopathic serial killer, and those who attend church every week won't always turn out to be the next St. Peter either.
Being an atheist does not ensure a bleak, lawless, and dangerous future. On the contrary, most atheists are the ones who seek the truth about science and life's mysteries. Brilliant minds from Ivan Pavlov to Stephen Hawking have led great and eventful lives without the direct interference of religion. It is easy to assume that atheists will lead criminal lives simply because they don't have a moral compass to guide them. However, that moral compass exists nonetheless, because it is a social construct that is relative to time and place. Christians used to think stoning and slavery was good and dandy, but now with new laws, it has become a human rights violation. We call our moral compasses different names; conscience, holy spirit, gut instinct, what-have-you. We all have it, no matter our religious beliefs, and it's absolutely ignorant to believe that an atheist or agnostic will commit a crime simply because 'they can'. Yin and yang my friend; there is good in bad and bad in good. Just because you love God doesn't mean you're exempt from wrongdoings, and just because someone believes in science doesn't mean they are devoid of kindness. Being a good human being doesn't need a 4000 year-old manual written by spirits, it just needs a society that understands and agrees with the same laws.
Now, I am too far down the rabbit hole to turn back. Not only will I be excommunicated from my family (I'm assuming) if I ever express my atheism, but any subsequent acts that I do will be blamed on my impiety. I would probably receive comments like, "oh, you probably didn't get the job because you didn't pray to God." No, I didn't get the job because I fucked up an interview question, but I'm glad to know God doesn't want me to work at Burger King. So if I ever do turn out to be an agnostic or an atheist, I will tell no one but myself and friends, and I know that many people will do the same.
Religion has been forced on so many people from such a young age to the point where they feel trapped and confined to it. There shouldn't be this coercion to live with a specific set of outdated rules. It might be a better life, but a child should grow up learning about life and choosing their own way. People shouldn't be forced to be chaste or refrain from eating certain foods simply because 'it is written'. Educating children about religious matters should be treated carefully, but it's always safest to explain different religions (including agnosticism and Scientology...if you're into that) and let them pick which one they would like to follow. Because religion is not insignificant, it's our entire lives. It's how we eat, how we choose to spend our time, and how we act. A god shouldn't be thrown at a 2 year-old like a play toy because they should understand the gamut of a religion before diving further into the creed. I mean, I was forced to join a religion that extorted money in return for forgiveness, banned heliocentric books and teachings, tortured people for 400 years for heresy, and teaches women to be silent and submissive to their husbands.
I know quite a number of people who were raised similarly and ended up professing their agnosticism once they've reached a certain age. You know, that age where you can think for yourself. But most of the time, people have no choice but to stay in that religion and practice it superficially. Religion shouldn't be this flimsy belief, it should be charged head-on and experienced wholeheartedly. What's the point of going to church or the mosque if you have no will to be there? Your god would rather you love him than to curse him in his temple. If any of you consider yourself as a Catholic, a Buddhist, a Hindu, or a Muslim simply because you have been taught to call yourself that, then maybe religion isn't for you. Because you should live your life the way you want to, and if old Aramaic manuscripts aren't to your liking, then perhaps you should find another path that you're comfortable and happy with. Unlike the olden days when it was punishable by death to denounce Christ, the world is much kinder now. So do as you will and believe what you want, because for centuries, many didn't have that privilege.
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