So to me religion is meant to be a way of life or the guidelines that you live by. I think it is important to know where you are going in life and have your own standards whether religion is a part of that or not. I guess that not everyone thinks like that. I don’t know about you but where I live you meet someone and you ask “So are you -certain religion-?” sometimes when people say no, its an instant turn off and they don’t even take the time to know them. Its almost as if it’s a social class. That to me is disgusting. Its like discrimination of race all over again blacks vs whites and now religion vs religion.
Now what is so ironic to me is that most religions teach acceptance of others. Yet parents wont let their children play with other children who aren’t their religion. Wow. Its almost straight out saying “I am better than you.” Anyone ever heard of ALL MAN ARE CREATED EQUALLY? That means you should treat your neighbor how you would treat yourself no matter what they believe in. What they believe doesn’t create who they are. Just because they don’t go to church every week doesn’t not mean they are bad people. They could be the most amazing wonderful people in the world and not attend a religious service. Then there has also been so many cases of world class criminals who were “church goers.” So get to know people for who they are and not for the religion they belong to. For example I once heard a saying “Someone calling them self a Christian just because they go to church, is like calling yourself a mechanic just because your standing in a garage.”

When I first heard that quote I interpreted in the way that going to church doesn’t make you a good person. Becoming a good person is doing good things and living by charity and love and forgivness. To me this also means that doing things that aren’t neccarcarily good don’t make you a bad person. For instance yes drinking is not good for your body but drinking doesn’t make you a bad person who is going to Hell.

Recently I have changed a lot. Some people have accepted and embraced this change because I have become more open minded. I have realized a lot of things and am a lot more layed back when it comes to religious rules. Yet still my moral values are strong and I know what is wrong and what is right. Some people have not accepted this change at all. They have criticized me and judged me for it and yet I have I best friend who has always been this way and people do not judge and criticize her in the same way they do me. When she asked them why they said something to this effect: you have always been like this. She has not, she used to be better and she knows better than this. To me this is not only an example of no religious tolerance. But no tolerance of change. I wish that people could see you as you are now and not judge you from who you were in the past.