When most kids hit high school, they go through a bit of a shock. For some people, it is the impact of leaving a small school and entering a larger environment. For others, it’s the shock of leaving all of your elementary school friends. For many, it’s the new interest kids take in religion. Long gone are the days when nobody questioned what you believe. When you get into high school, people always want to know what you believe, who you believe, and why you believe. In the end, your answer never really matters. You’ll almost always get knocked down by whoever is inquiring about your religious beliefs. There’s something about the word religion that puts people on edge.

My faith was shaken freshman year. I went to a small Lutheran elementary school and was quick to learn that other people, even some teachers, wouldn’t hesitate to tell you that you were wrong. Even my own friends will point out things about my beliefs that they think are wrong.
If religion was brought up at the lunch table, the smartest move was to brace myself for a heated debate and stay out. If I didn’t believe like everyone else, I became the target of the majority of the criticism. Some people would try to push their beliefs on me while others would try to get me to reject everything I held on to. For some reason, religious confrontation seems inevitable. Why is it that people can’t accept what other people put faith in?

If you’re Christian, science gets thrown in your face. If you’re an atheist, people try to tell you there’s something out there. If you’re Wiccan, people will ignorantly believe potions and black cats are you’re thing. Why bother questioning if you can’t sit and listen to what people have to say? Why would take interest in someone’s beliefs only so you can shoot them down? Something about that seems to be cruel and wrong. There is nothing wrong with not believing the same as everyone else. It only becomes a problem when people feel it necessary to put down those beliefs.

Can anyone honestly say it’s okay to judge people on religion? Nobody seems to think about what it’s like to be teased or made fun of unless it’s actually happening to them. It doesn’t matter if you’re a teacher or a student, you should take the time to be a good friend. Don’t make it your job to dictate what other people believe. Make it your responsibility to be supportive, no matter what others believe. After all, the best friends in life won’t care what you believe in. They should like you for you.
Religious tolerance is a rarity in high school, but if people put aside their ignorance and closed minds, that can easily change. Just remember to keep an open mind. What was that phrase we learned in elementary school? Oh yeah. If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.