YOUR Religious Beliefs Won't SAVE Or CONDEMN

   I grew up as a PK (preacher's kid) in a large church, so I was raised as a Southern Baptist Christian. I then went off to college and fell in love with a girl that attended Mass so I converted to Catholicism. After college, I found a career I loved and traveled the world, spending a considerable amount of time in the Middle East and befriended some Muslims so I converted to Islam. As I continued into my adulthood I experienced personal loses and questioned how "blessed" I truly was. So I abandoned the religious teachings I had been privy to for majority of my life and for a time I was also an avid atheist. I have had the rare opportunity to be exposed to some of the world's most dominate religions. Now as a young man well into in my early 50's I no longer claim a specified religion. I now consider myself to be spiritual.

   I refuse to label myself as completely dedicated to one particular religion. Because I have learned from different faiths and have been deeply affected by all of them. I realized that religion is a person's or culture's way of believing in something greater than themselves. And based on that principal I realized that all religions in my opinion share a common bond...faith. That faith reinforces their beliefs that if they live right and do right they will be rewarded in this life and in the next life that exists after the physical body passes away. Having had the pleasure to fellowship and worship with numerous people of vastly different religious beliefs it truly pains me to see some many other people being hateful toward each other all in the name of religious freedom.

   I have never understood how a person claims to have received the enlightenment of a higher power but behave in such a despicably low manner. I guess it's true that people fear what they don't understand and they hate what they can't conquer. After my experiences I am determined to continue learning about various beliefs. And with that knowledge I hope to gain a higher respect for the religious beliefs that others have but as for me I will remain forever spiritual. Like my father told me when I was a young boy "believe what you choose and make your own decisions because I don't have a heaven or a hell to put you in". So remember when you are pushing your beliefs on other people and/or disrespecting theirs... understand that your religious beliefs don't save or condemn.


Be BETTER TODAY, than you were yesterday.
TWIL