Catholic school
As vicious as Roman rule
I got my knuckles bruised
by a lady in black
And I held my tongue
as she told me son
'fear is the heart of love'
so I never went back
I'll Follow You into the Dark
~Death Cab for Cutie
Plans (2005)
As vicious as Roman rule
I got my knuckles bruised
by a lady in black
And I held my tongue
as she told me son
'fear is the heart of love'
so I never went back
I'll Follow You into the Dark
~Death Cab for Cutie
Plans (2005)
It seems to me that so much of our ability to believe and have a faith comes from our interactions with those who represent a particular faith. People who have supportive and encouraging experiences within a religious community continue to have a relationship with that faith. Those who do not have a positive experience reject religion. While there are other aspects that go into individuals decisions, most of the stories I hear from people who have no spiritual discipline is due to the negative interactions with the people responsible for helping them to shape their belief.
Have people been influential, positively or negatively, in your faith journey? Did they cause you to embrace the faith you were raised in or to seek out other answers? What other aspects led you to be where you are in your beliefs?
I was fortunate to have grown up in a very liberal church that allowed me to explore what I really believed. When I think back to the day I had to make my Statement of Faith on the day I joined the church, I remember saying I didn't know if I believed in Jesus or heaven. After the service members came up to me to share their appreciation that I had been honest. I don't know how many are really able to share and learn from others who are in the same boat, struggling to make sense of what doesn't really make sense. It's too bad because it makes for interesting discussions.
Have people been influential, positively or negatively, in your faith journey? Did they cause you to embrace the faith you were raised in or to seek out other answers? What other aspects led you to be where you are in your beliefs?
I was fortunate to have grown up in a very liberal church that allowed me to explore what I really believed. When I think back to the day I had to make my Statement of Faith on the day I joined the church, I remember saying I didn't know if I believed in Jesus or heaven. After the service members came up to me to share their appreciation that I had been honest. I don't know how many are really able to share and learn from others who are in the same boat, struggling to make sense of what doesn't really make sense. It's too bad because it makes for interesting discussions.
hey - i think you kind of hit it on the head with a positive experience being instrumental for most people to hang on to faith. i'm glad that you had a lot of support to wonder about big "religious" ideas. there are a lot of things that i'd like to discuss with others -- speculate about or question -- but i've seldom had talks like that with people of faith themselves... the conversation kind of gets steered around to the "right" belief. i'm glad you have a blog now! can't wait to keep reading.
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