There is a God If You Want There To Be

When I was little, I used to get dressed up in frilly dresses and shiny white shoes to go to church. I looked forward to seeing my grandparents and other friends and family, and listening to the choir sing. The only problem was, most of the time I didn’t understand very much—we always attended Spanish mass. As hard as I tried to learn the language, I never really caught on. We moved to a predominately white neighborhood when I was four and after that it was difficult to learn because I didn’t have to.

It didn’t really matter though, because although I didn’t understand some of the words in church, I understood what they represented about God and about my faith. I knew attending church always made me feel good. I knew church was a place where I felt safe. But most of all, I knew I would never be alone because God would always be there.

If there is one thing I regret about my faith, it’s that I’m not as well versed in the history and details of the Catholic Church as I would like to be. However, I rest easy knowing there is something more to this world and this life because I have a personal relationship with God.

To answer the question “Is There a God?”: There is if you want there to be. I strongly believe in religious freedom and the ability to take control of your own faith. The difficult part about my view is the fact that some people may not believe in God. As someone who does believe in God, it is not easy to accept this view, but I do. I accept not everyone agrees with me and not everyone follows the same religious guidelines. What I do not accept is when people look down upon you or openly condemn you for not sharing their same views.

For example, the people of a certain church (which I prefer not to name for the sake of not helping to disseminate their hateful messages) openly discriminate against everyone who does not follow their “doctrine.” Although their faith is centered on hate and propaganda, and although I do not agree with them whatsoever, these people have the right to believe “America is doomed” if they want to.

However, when your actions affect others either physically or emotionally, I believe that is crossing the line. The only problem is, radical people are not rational. Have you ever tried having a conversation with someone who has radical beliefs? It doesn’t go over very well.

One’s relationship with God is a personal thing and something that cannot be tainted by the words and opinions of others. As difficult as it can be for some to keep their faith during tough times, (ex. why would God do this to me?), I know there is a God and that he has a plan for my life. Despite the fact that some people might not agree with me, all that matters is that I know I have an everlasting and personal relationship with God.

How do you feel about religious freedom? Should people be able to believe what they want, even if it discriminates against others? Is there one “correct” religion or is faith all what you make it?