“I believe in God but have denounced religion. Religion is man-made, Everyone acts like they are free but they aren’t. Parents pass religion down to their kids. I know the ins and outs of my mother, the way she trained me. Sex was taboo with my parents and filthy to talk about. It would be easier if I was on heroin than to talk about sex, but God invented sex.
Religion affects who you work for and who you give a job to. Most people stick with people in their own comfort zone. I am blessed, you are blessed. But there is a poor old guy who has nothing and says I guess I am not blessed. The Bible says what you have done to the least of my people, you have done to me. It is so simple, but we have made religion so complicated. Good works are to do unto others and feed the hungry. Then move on with your life and don’t take pride in the good you do.
I denounced the religion of my parents and they ousted me years ago. I see them every once in a while. My parents have such a fear of going to hell that they confess their sins all the time. Things that really aren’t sins. My mother put a picture of Jesus on the TV to control what my dad watches. It must be hard for my parents to have a kid come back and say what they believe is wrong.”
I had a very similar experience. A childhood disease nearly killed me as a teenager and those with strong religious beliefs outside my family told me I just needed to pray more or that I didn’t have a strong enough faith and God was teaching me something. I’m still trying to understand what he was “teaching” me. I’ve always felt Faith is a powerful thing but religion is a scary thing. I choose to be agnostic as I want to keep an open mind and not to let religion choose my friends or who I hire. If anything, I lean toward a zen lifestyle. I once read that Lincoln said, “When I do Good, I feel Good. That is my religion.” I don’t know if he really said that but I like it and try to live by it. I’ve often felt guilty for causing my family frustration. My beliefs are odd to them at times but I still hope I do right by them by following one thing we agree on which is to treat others the way I would want to be treated.