More on Religion

Part one - note to coffee shop preacher:

I am sure if we met one-on-one under different circumstances, I would like you. You seem like a very kind man, who cares about kids and your community. But, instead, we meet at the coffee shop and every time we do, you are loudly discussing your cock-sure religious beliefs.  Usually, you are quoting the Bible with someone in a pissing contest to prove who is the more pious. Last time we met, I got fed up and left in a fit of anger. This time, I remembered to bring my headphones in order to drown out your conversation. I don't want to infringe on your beliefs and I DO want to keep my opinions to myself. Devout Christians have been some of the kindest people I have ever met in my life. However, I have also been blessed with generous and kind atheist, Jewish and Pagan friends. 

Part two - my inner dialogue, as I wrestle with my feelings:

I think about my friends who have been through tremendously difficult times and I am thankful that they have such a strong faith. I am positive it is the only way they could have survived their turbulent lives. For this reason, religion definitely has a purpose. However, I have also been through the fire (and am still going through it), and I am doing OK, even though I am not attached to any organized religion. But, I do have faith in something. Call it hope, call it life, call it God or call it Karma. Whatever it is, it allows me to wake up and face another day. I don't dwell on it. I just know that it is. I don't try to recruit others to my way of thinking. I don't spout my beliefs out loud, any chance I get, in order to impress myself or others. I have said it before - faith is an intensely personal experience for me. So personal, in fact, that when I was a child, I used to feel embarrassed in church - it felt like my innermost secrets were being discussed without my permission. My sisters did not feel this way. My mother did not and I do not believe that this is a common experience, but I could be wrong. My father did not attend church with us when we were kids. But, after he died, we cleared many philosophy books from his shelves. Obviously, he had an interest in the inner journeys of humanity. He became more outwardly religious when he started attending AA. Turning his addiction over to a higher power certainly had an effect on him. It also worked, as he was sober for close to 3 decades. 

I feel that someone is out there and something does work but perhaps it is humanity's destiny to not know the answer until we leave this earthly plane.