"Religion is like a pair of shoes. Find a pair that fits for you, but don't make me wear your shoes." This quote by George Carlin expresses my feeling about religion. During my life, there have been incidents and people that have shaped my ideas about what's right and what's wrong, and those influences have helped me develop my religious beliefs. My personal philosophy, my family, and my moral compass are all contributing factors to what I believe.
Organized religion isn't something of great importance to me, and I've chosen not to become a regular church attendee. I don't believe religion should be forced upon anyone. Although religion isn't an important part of my life, I do believe there is a God and he is the Creator of the intricate order of the universe. In The Huffington Post, Canada, Michael Reardon, a twenty-four year old bible-study teacher says, "God is real. There is really no running away from that fact. I can try but assuming He is omnipresent, you can't really run to far" (qtd. in Abedi). But I believe that I should not have to attend church regularly just to know Him and be saved. I do not believe that going to church and listening to a minister is going to save me from going to hell. What I do believe is that if I truly love God with all my heart and soul and thank Him for what He has done for my family and me then that is what is going to save me.
My family has influenced my beliefs, but that does not mean I agree with everyone in my family about religion. We all have Christian views of how we are supposed to live our lives, although my beliefs are more open than theirs may be. I agree more with Nina Elias in her article " Are you there, God? It's me Generation Y". Attending church, following a weekly schedule, and having guilty feelings after missing a week just is not my thing.(Elias). For example, my family once told me I was going to hell simply because I chose to date a man of another race.