Okay, team,
I would like to take a second to acknowledge that not everyone is open-minded about religion or would like to spend their free time reading debates/propoganda/etc on faith, institutionalized religion, specific religions, or all that jazz.
So if you want to stop reading right now, feel free. It's your right.
For the rest of you, I am agnostic: as in, I have no belief that there is or isn't a God, god, gods, goddesses, or Goddess. I spend my days living by a set of morals I have determined to be sound and the government's laws (for the most part, though I do speed).
But recently, one of my friends asked me if I wanted to join her Christian book club, knowing that I don't even think about God, god, gods, etc. I'm not sure what made her ask, but I decided to accept the offer, under the condition that I can talk freely about my relationship (or lack thereof) with religion. We are reading a book called "Altar Ego: Becoming Who God Says You Are" by Craig Groeschel, which delights me simply because it is about dealing with societal labels and self-improvement.
I showed up for the first meeting and met a lovely bunch of young women, who all knew each other from their college's Young Life Christian program or other various collegiate inter-faith programs. We had a variety of personalities present, and there was even vegan orange cake, which was delicious. One of the ladies read the inside covers, and then everyone talked about how excited they were to read this book.
Now, I've never been in a book club, but I didn't realize that people sat down and talked about how excited to read a book they have only read the inside cover of - isn't that like 'judging a book by its cover?' And isn't this a book about who you are or are not? This struck me as a little odd, but I put in my two cents and then the conversation devolved into who is getting married to who, and when, and what the wedding will be like, and all sorts of chit-chat that is likely to show up around springtime with engaged or soon-to-be engaged young women.
The next book club meeting, I had dutifully read the first chapter and realized that I am out of touch with the Bible, because Craig made mention to many Bible stories and I had forgotten a few of them. Ironically enough, only 1 other person showed up outside of me and my friend. So we decided that discussing the first chapter would probably be better when more than 3 people were present, and we talked about other things instead.
The third week was held in my apartment, and we finally got enough people to discuss the first chapter - about the labels we are given. We talked about everything from "well, what if we don't like the label God gives us?" to "do we absolutely have to hit rock-bottom before we remake ourselves into the person God wants us to be?". I enjoyed hearing lots of logic coming out as they tried to answer these questions for themselves, and I offered up a few comments I had learned about slowly improving yourself over time and 'calibrating' yourself by asking others what labels they would give you. For example, my coworkers called me 'a nazi' the Friday before Memorial Day weekend (3 day weekend) when all the managers let their workers go home by 1pm and I kept mine until 3pm.
I wasn't able to attend the 4th week, and I hadn't read the chapters for the 5th week (so I'm behind and need to read chapters 2, 3, and 4). But I decided to take a leap and go with my friend and her husband to church on Sunday (today).
And that's what prompted this post: Why do people need religion, and more specifically, why do I not need religion?
In my book club, all the women are young, intelligent, college-educated individuals that embrace modern times and ideals - whereas I was used to religion being based in more of a 'Jesus said so, that's why' mentality. Obviously, these ladies are fully capable of questioning an all-powerful, all-knowing being, and still choose to have faith.
Can you prove that God does or does not exist? No.
If someone came up to you and gave you a thesis that said, "It's true because I believe it is.", would you consider that a credible explanation? Probably not.
Can you justify having one part of your life that is inexplicable and doesn't apply the basic rules of logic that you apply to the rest of your life? I wouldn't think so.
And yet, these women can practice medicine, psychology, banking - these women are teachers, students, wives, and day-care instructors. And they still choose to have faith in something they cannot prove or disprove. They have taken a side in a question that they cannot get an answer to unless they die - which none of them plan on doing anytime soon.
And, by choosing to be agnostic, I have just found a way to avoid the question all together. I do not offer my pain and suffering up to what may or may not exist. I do not offer up thanks and joy either. And as I was sitting in that church, watching people pour out their souls in song, praise, and tears, I was wondering, if there isn't a God, god, gods, goddesses, or Goddess....
...where does it all go?
