June 20, 2000    
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How does religion play a role in your life?

I grew up in a very religious family and went to church almost every Sunday. I went to a private Christian grammar and high school, so I'm pretty knowledgeable about the Christian religion. I'd say I'm religious too, but probably not as strong as my parents. It is comforting to have religious beliefs and is my only answer to the question "Why are we here?"

Marcia, 20
Chicago
, IL

I used to go to church (Presbyterian) all the time, but since I have moved and my life has changed I don't go all that often. However, I still believe in what I was taught. Some of it I have altered a little, like I don't believe exactly what was written, but I believe in the concept or lesson taught. My faith keeps me going every day and I don't believe you have to go to church once a week to keep believing!! I am happy with where I stand with my religion!

Tracy, 24
Ocean City,
NJ

Right now, I am trying to find what I believe. Religion is a tricky thing based on a huge leap of faith and that can sometimes be a hard leap to take. So, I think, I pray sometimes and I try to take that leap. For me, church has never been a requirement of religion. I was raised in a traditional Presbyterian church which I loved and spent lots of time at. I was incredibly involved in choir, fellowship, teaching Sunday School, acolyting, and everything else I could get in to. Church was my community. Everyone knew me and I was very comfortable there. It was my second home. But, I went away to college and the church got a new minister who I don't care for and so, I have broken away from that community. But, that doesn't have a thing to do with my religious beliefs. I think I would like to find a new church but, only for the sense of community involvement.

Kathy, 26
Garden City,
MI

I go to church, my faith is one of the only things that stays constant in my life. i think without some amount of religion in life, people have nothing to hold onto.

Angela, 16
Bella Vista,
AK

Organized religion plays a very small role in my life. But the tentative belief that there is a higher power and that in the overall plan of things there is a reason for the bad things that happen is a support in stressful times.

Jane, 60
West Linn,
OR

I think that being raised Irish Roman Catholic that religion formed my sense of rebellion to some degree. I have always loved religion and consider myself a spiritual person, though not now of the Christian faith.

Kate, 19
Bellingham,
WA

I grew up with way too much of it but I am able to see religion and the possibility of a spiritual universe as two separate subject matters. Although the natural world does seem too organized to be the result of a freak accident I see no reason to believe in an all-loving, all-powerful, omnipresent being. Beyond that I see no reason to believe that all religions are anything more than the creation of humans. It currently plays a part in my life because the U.S. is still unable to separate church and state, which makes sense as the two were both created for the same purpose: to control people. On a slight American tangent I think Christians are especially funny because there are over a thousand variations of them all

Alias Irrelevante

As someone once made my day by saying, "Religion is just guilt with different holidays."

Karen, 20
Marshelltown/Ames,
IA

When I was young, I was taught to thank God for everything I have.  There have been a few rough times in my life when I am certain that God pulled me through. I continue to pray and be thankful for my health, family and friends. I try not to ask for specific things - just to be guided in the

Susan, 31
Chicago,
IL

I was brought up in a extremely religious household. When I was younger, all my goals had to do with religion, which is what my parents encouraged. However, I have come to realize that religion is a fantasy, with every faith believing that they are superior to all the others. When I realized that, I started to despise God for being so ambiguous and unclear about his "word". Then I realized that God didn't write the bible, but he did create us and this planet and the universe. So now I'm an anti religious,

Socrates One
Lowell, MA

My desire is for God to be first in my life. However, flawed as I am, more often than not I think of myself first.

Laura, 35
Lowell
, MA

Let's see. Well, I'm as Catholic as I allow myself to be, but I don't buy into everything the Church says. I can't. I believe that religion is a fallible entity; a human explanation of something inexplicable. It is not an all-mighty force.  But I will say this: whenever I'm upset, scared, lost, depressed, etc. and I go to church, I leave feeling much much better. I don't know if it's the ceremony that comforts me or Something Else. I'd like to think it's the latter.

Amy, 23
Baton Rouge,
LA

Religion plays a very important role in my life. I try to my upmost ability to follow the 10 commandments. I do not lie, steal, cheat, idolize, or covet. I am of the Nazarene denomination. I also believe that you should treat everyone with friendliness, whether or not they should treat you the same.

Melodi, 19
Hlliard
, OH

The school I go to is a private one and we go to Mass every Thursday. I also go to Mass on Sunday. I'm Catholic.

Jeremy, 13
Highlands Ranch,
CO

It plays a role in that when my family, friends, or myself is in need of guidance, I have something to turn to.

Ernest, 28
Washington,
DC

Nothing, bar guaranteed, long extended discussions, with my husband about the existence of God, and the validity of the Bible, and religions.

Helena, 31
Sydney AUSTRALIA

Amy (girlfriend extraordinaire and fellow 200days contributor) is Catholic, so there is that.  Besides that, modern religion serves the same function for me as Bob Hope. Don't fret, I will explain: Christianity, like Mr Hope, strikes me as some senile zombie artifact that  was never really worth my time, and although I seem to remember laughing at it when I was young, I now wish it would just die for the good of us all.   Die on public television. And preferebly fall (dead) on Brooke Shields.

On a more positive note: my father is Buddhist and my friend Dave is Southern Baptist, and it seems to work well for them. More power to them, may their god's bless them. I enjoy the stories from various mythic structures (egyptian, norse, greco-roman, and hebrew especially), and some of the language is pretty good. But to pick a book like Dianetics or the Bible or any Book of the Dead and to trust the words written in there by thousands of years of cumulative conflicting power-mongering seems downright goofy.

"And Lo, on the 24th page of 'The Celery Stalks at Midnight',  Bunnicula spake..."

Die, Bob Hope, Die.

Anthony, 25
Baton Rouge,
LA

Actually religion doesn't play a role in my life. It's nothing extremely important here (I read somewhere that only 4% of the population of this country go to church). I don't think about it very often, I can count the number of times I've been to church on one hand, I'm not a religious person, I don't believe in a God, and I don't have to pray at any time in school. So  it really doesn't play a very important role in my life at all.

Shanna, 15
Cardiff ENGLAND

Religion is life.

Jill, 59
Saylorsburg
, PA

Well, I'm getting married in a Catholic church...it's played a huge role in the way I make certain decisions. It's a very important aspect of my life, one I hope I share with my children.

Nicole
Elk Grove, CA

I was raised Catholic and despite being very lasped I find that an essential core of myself is still ruled by those early years of going to mass. As for now, religion acts a source of unresolved tension in my life

Felicia, 34
Somerville,
MA

I enjoy going to religious services. . however, I am a devout atheist. .. .

mothmc, 35
Los Angeles
, LA

Gives me something to b**** about every now and then.

Firelady, 22
Dallas
, TX

Religion is a very interesting social phenomenon and I am very intrigued by it. I have a thirst for knowledge about all religions and study them a lot. That is probably the greatest affect religion has on me. I have been raised as a Reform Jew, and I feel my soul IS that of a Reform Jew. I do not for a second believe that there is an absolute truth, so the ideology of moral relativism in Reform Judaism is perfect for my beliefs.

Eric, 18
Beverly Hills
, CA  USA

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