I've been writing for my entire life and there isn't much I've never written about. I really think religion is one of the things on that list. I don't think it's something I've intentionally avoided, but like my Facebook profile says--it's complicated. It's not complicated necessarily because my views are complicated, but because religion itself is so complicated and I couldn't possibly cover all of my thoughts on it in one blog...so consider this a Cliff's Notes version.
I was raised Catholic, which is to say I attended a Catholic church whenever we happened to go to church. Most of the time, that happened when I was with one of my aunts or my grandmother. I completed four of the seven Holy Sacraments and even attended Catholic school for a year in the 3rd grade. I always found it interesting how involved I was in the church as a kid, given the fact that my mom swore it off after she got a divorce when I was three or four.
The whole thing was never really a big deal to me. I never felt particularly defined by my religion and as I got older, whatever connection I had to the church just kind of naturally faded away. I've always believed in God, but I've never felt like my belief was rooted specifically in the Catholic interpretation.
I believe heaven is a place much like Cowboys Stadium. If you are Mother Teresa, Gandhi, or Martin Luther King Jr., you've got the 50-yard line seats and the field passes and the autograph and photo session with God. If you're a normal dude like me, whose made some mistakes in life but has never really hurt anyone and tries hard to be the best person he can be, you might not have the best seats in the house, but there's that giant TV screen so you can still see and hear everything God has to say....You're in the building and no matter where you're sitting, it's a pretty damn awesome place to spend the rest of eternity.
I believe hell is a place reserved only for the truly evil and dispicable among us....and I believe that whatever you have done to end up there is done to you for eternity.
I have been to many different churches in my life and I've noticed they have one thing in common. They are as my wife says--wonderful places for those who find what they need there but because they are filled with humans, they are imperfect places. Personally, I have learned and come to believe more about the existence of God outside of a church than I ever have inside one.
That's another blog all by itself, so I'll forgo the examples. I suppose the bottom line when it comes to my views on religion is is best summed up by Dan Brown's protagonist Robert Langdon in Angels & Demons, who said, "My mind tells me I will never fully understand God. My heart tells me that I'm not meant to."
Knowing this, I take comfort in my belief that God really did make us in His own image...meaning our human flaws, our thoughts and desires, are all things God wanted us to have. People, no matter what religion they are, seem to believe that there is a standard of perfection we have to strive for in order to please our God...and I believe we largely do it all for nothing.
When we get to heaven, I believe the first thing God will tell us is, "You were trying way too hard."
Sounds like my kind of guy.
Until next time...
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