I never forgot it, confusing as it was
No fun with no guilt feelings
The sinners, the saviors, the loverless priest
I’ll see you next Sunday
We all have a reason to be there
We all have a thing or two to learn
We need something to cling to
So we did
- from “Forgiven”, Alanis Morisette
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People always give me that questioning second look when they discover that I’m agnostic. Religion has become one of my favorite arguments, and this is coming from someone who spent his elementary days as a little missionary (one of the elite clubs in my alma mater, Holy Spirit Academy).
For the ill-informed, agnostic means that you believe in A Higher Power but not in religion (agnostic is a notch higher than atheist). I call it faith without borders. I believe in God but I don’t believe in rules telling me how I should express my faith.
Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against people who practice their religion. One of my personal philosophies: To each, his own. I am an advocate of respecting one’s personal choices. Just as long as they also respect mine.
News talking about the frenzy over the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, the so-called healing priest or the Church’s love-hate affair with politics (Noli Me Tangere, anyone?) resurrected my arguments about religion.
There is a thin line between faith and fanaticism. I understand that some people have to cling to that one hope that they can hold on to. Above anything, religion offers HOPE. And hope is a double-edged sword…it can either make or break you.
Honestly, I find Catholic faith too old-fashioned. It clings to its age-old tradition even if it is unfit for these modern times. How can a priest preach about family when he does not even know what it feels like to be a real father? How can you condone safe sex methods when the entire world is already grappling with overpopulation and resultant scarcity of basic human needs? How can their repetitive prayers end the famine in Africa and the war in Iraq?
I will paraphrase. There is nothing wrong with praying. So long we inject some kind of reality in it. As the cliché goes, do your best and God will do the rest.
Religion, for me, is just a structure or a manifestation. But at the very core, you just have to know the correct concept of what is RIGHT and what is WRONG. And you don’t need the rules of religion to tell you that. I will even go as far as saying that I live a more “religious” life that half of the devout Catholics out there. I know one too may Catholics who are so passionate about their blessed religion but who will think ill of their “brother” as soon as they step out of the confines of their beloved Church. Talk about practicing what you preach. I bet gusto na silang kunin ni Lord.
Faith does not depend on outdated book, an earthly image or a repetitive ceremony. IT LIES WITHIN YOU.
And, as with anything in this world, your FAITH is wortless. It's what you do with it that counts.
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You can find yourself a God
Believe in which one you want
Coz they love you all the same
They just go by different names
- from “It Means Nothing”