That Religious Guy: It's Not Easy Being Religious

..... I spent yesterday [Friday] afterschool with Celine, the French foreign exchange student and Claire at the Dollar Tree. The topic of eternal damnation came up in conversation (as it always seems to when I'm around, although I didn't start the topic!0). Celine apparently was fully convinced she was going to hell since religious people were apparently telling her so. Oddly enough, she rejoiced with Claire, who also joked she was going to the fiery pit! This would be my response to Celine if she ever reads this blog!

..... It's not easy being religious...

..... Sometimes it takes all you have to believe in something. In my early years, I was a grade-A atheist. I regarded religion as a fable and God as fictional. If you had told me that I would grow up to be a religious kid, I would have called you a liar. Now that I have re-instated my Roman Catholic heritage in my life, I feel more at home in the world. I feel as if I can do anything, as long as God's there to help out. In the end, it doesn't really matter what you do with your life, as long as you live it in a pure manner. At least trying to be "good" sometimes is worth more than living a life of sin. Don't wait till it's too late to be virtuous. Just try.

..... Unfortunately, some people in the world are so focused on condemning people to the fiery pit that everyone else just accepts this theological garbage and convinces themselves that since they can do nothing to escape their fate, they should just keep doing what they do. Only God decides who goes to hell or heaven. Nothing man can say or do can change that fact. It really makes me angry to see people shove the prospect of hell into the faces of the average joe or jane. We're all sinners. Some just admit it while others just hide it.

.....We religious people are so fine tuned to how to live the "right" way that we condemn ourselves more since we know the differences between right and wrong. In a way, just like how a clean shirt can make a tiny red spot visible, living a "good" life can high light your sins. The main point here is that don't be so hard on yourself. God is forgiving and you can always turn back for help.

..... Maybe it is kind of easy being religious afterall...

- Jeremy Dela Cruz