I'm Not One of Those Religious People

I'm not one of those religious people who judges and condemns others for nearly or identical missteps. I am not one of those people who constantly proselytizes and thinks that all of the other people not with me are going to hell. I'm not one of those people who thinks I've figured out religion and that I know better. I am not someone whose life is dictated by religious dogma or scripture. I do not try to interpret the Bible to defend bigotry or intolerance.

Religion is personal.

But I am a religious person -- I am a Christian Scientist. Each week, I study a pre-prepared Bible lesson published by the Mother Church in Boston. Each Sunday, the same lesson, readings of the Bible and Science and Health with Key the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, is read by two readers. This is my lesson and sermon to study and grow from. My copy of the lesson is currently sticking out of my purse in plain view. that it is a religious and Bible-related pamphlet is unmistakable -- the cross and crown and the giant "BIBLE LESSON" text at the top in all capitalized letters. Just now I had an urge to hide it less someone see and think I left it there in view on purpose or that they think I am one of those people I mentioned above.

It's unfortunate, really, that I expect that response from people. Revulsion to religion. Revulsion to what they conceive of as judgment, bigotry, self-righteousness, bothersome proselytizing, hypocrisy, ignorance, believing only what I have been taught, insanity, naivety, and so on. With the Christian Right and popular religion, these are what I see. Christianity concerned with being anything but Christian. The teachings of Christ left by the wayside while still invoking his name in support of war, tyranny, mob mentality, and persecution. This is the stereotype I see and want to get as far away from as I possibly can.

It's pretty ironic, really. Here I am pretty religious and steadfast in what I believe but I don't really want people to know because I expect them to see all these negative misconceptions instead of who I am or what I believe. I don't want them to see me as the same Christian as others. And it's unfair, really, that I stereotype all of Christians into the same group when I know so many who aren't any of these negative things. They are so loving and accepting and intelligent and able to distinguish between what they believe and the rest of the way the world is -- that we do not live in a Christian country in the sense that you do not have to be a Christian to live here. You do not have to agree with any particular sect of Christianity or Christianity in general to live and move and have your being. As Americans, we disagree in terms of what man is and where he comes from and where is going and everything in between -- how we live our lives and why. That by congress making no law restricting the free exercise of religion, it includes the freedom to disagree. To me, it includes the freedom to not exercise any religion at all. To This could be one of the one of the highest first amendment representations and genius, really, when you think of the verbiage used to construct the statement. Isn't not having one expressing religion? Isn't forcing religion on someone making it no longer free?

Personally and from a CS perspective, I don't believe in hell. I don't fear for anyone's immortal soul. And surely those who fear for mine and others, if we haven't participated in the particular rituals and steps that supposedly save man, can respect that fact that it is my immortal soul and assuming there is a God, that it is between Him and me. And while I appreciate other people who may try to convince me otherwise in order to save my soul, it is really diametrically opposed to any kind of loving sense of the Divine that I could imagine (I would have said "divine" but that would have been using the word one too many times for that sentence). And should the Infinite Life be different than I imagine, surely I get credit for rational thought and loving my fellow man.

I'm rambling again but the point is I shouldn't be afraid of letting people know I'm religious. And in counterpoint, I don't think religion should be mandatory in this country. I think that is ultimately what some people want out -- and that terrifies me. Because what I think of religion and what they think of religion are two very different things.