My Spiritually Transformative Experience
part 2
As I grew, graduated high school and then college, married, and had children of my own, I kept my curious nature, never finding answers that fully quenched my curiosity about the afterlife. My old church had become entangled with politics and had some, what felt to me, unkind, unloving beliefs that I had trouble accepting. Religion and politics should never marry. Yet, I wanted my children to have knowledge of God and Jesus, but wanted them to find their own path. I thought a local Unitarian Universalist Fellowship might provide them with such an opportunity. Besides, my husband was raised in the UU church, so it was familiar to him, although I primarily went alone with my kids. I became quite involved with the UU's and it seemed ideal...for a while.
They spoke of other religions around the world and were accepting of all walks of life, it appeared. Until I found out my daughter, who'd been attending their version of Sunday School, knew nothing about Jesus. Well, a lot of that is my fault for not paying attention, and so I fixed that and read to her from a children's Bible, explaining who He was, and also what I believed. She was young, so I didn't get too preachy.
But all good things must end, so they say, and my relationship with the UU's came to a screeching halt when they too inserted politics into their sermons, choir, and I discovered their tolerance toward different opinions had limits.
It was time to consider leaving organized religion.
The mind altering moment that solidified what I believe, came one night as I had lain in bed, next to my husband, my children asleep in their own rooms. It has stayed with me for approximately 16-17 years. It molded how I worshipped or didn't worship. The experience took my agnosticism and threw it out the window like no priest, or sermon, or church had ever been able to do.
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