I'll Take It

Non - Denominational

 Stephanie Perez, staff writer

Almost every Sunday and Wednesday, I do something that I have done ever since I was a little girl.

I attend services at the church that I’ve attended ever since I was a child.

Now, I don’t consider myself to be a “Holy Roller” or anything like that. In fact, I am probably one of the last people you would even suspect to attend church. But, it’s a habit. I don’t know if any of you follow this tradition, but for those of you who do and aren’t exactly the religious type, do you ever question why you even go? I know that is something that goes through my head while I am driving to church.

Until I moved back to Lubbock in August, I hadn’t even prayed, much less attend church. On my

dog tags, for the lists that says your religious preference, mine simply says no religious preference.

I wanted to just put God right there, but that seemed to be to confusing for some people.

While I was in basic training at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina, I used to go to church services just so I could catch up on some sleep, until I started feeling guilty and stopped doing that. Very recently, I made a huge mistake at church and decided to question some of the church leaders, actually a whole entire family.

After I said all I had to say, that following Wednesday when I attended church services, I actually didn’t feel welcomed. Well, I haven’t really felt welcomed back ever since I rejoined he church, and it’s things like that that really make me question Christians as a whole.

One of the things that I find humorous at my church is when the preachers and teachers start going on and on about people of the “world” and how evil they are. But in all honesty, some of the most decent people I’ve met have been atheists, and some of the most judgmental people I’ve ever met have been so-called Christians. To clear up any confusion, I’m not saying that all Christians are bad people; I know they aren’t. I’ve met and grown up with some. I’m just trying to say that’s kind of funny when they are being judgmental and hypocritical by attending church and acting like there is nothing wrong with them.

An old Bible teacher of mine used to tell us not to tell somebody that they have a speck of dirt on his or her shoulder when you have a log coming out of you eye. 

I think that the reason some Christians tend to be this way is the fact that every single

denomination, from the Baptists to the Churches of Christ (especially) and all the way to the Catholics, believes that theirs is the right one and that they are the ones that are going to heaven.

It’s almost as if they are all campaigning to win over heaven. What do they think is going to happen when they get to heaven, that’s it’s going to be segregated? No, not at all.

I really believe that not one domination has it right. Religion is the one thing that is like the 

monkey in the closet. Everyone knows it’s there, but no one wants to address it. It just seems as if some things are all messed up because of religion. Wars and debates have been centered on religion.

Sometimes I wonder if Jesus ever regrets doing what he did.

I personally do not believe in organized religion. I just simply believe in the idea that there is

something higher. I am a very open person, but just the very topic of religion brought up in a group environment makes me feel very uneasy. But I wonder what the big deal is. All of the denominations believe that there is a God, but where do all the rest go? What is the confusion?

It is very unusual that I am writing about my religious beliefs. This is usually the one thing that I

like to keep under the rug, but I guess I don’t have anyone to argue back at me. I really believe that the Kevin Smith movie “Dogma” says it best when Rufus, the 13^th apostle, tells Bethany, the last Zion, instead of having a belief, have an idea, because changing your mind about something is so much easier than changing a belief.

So I hope that all of you who do the same thing that I do almost every Sunday and Wednesday.

Attend services with an open mind. Remember, not one religion has figured it out, and we’re all doing something wrong.