God Confusion

Last night I had choir. We sing a lot of songs to do with God. In fact, I think every song we sang last night had the word God in it. And I'm just not sure how I feel about that. At this point in my life I am not a church-going person. I am, in fact, a bit fed up with the institution of religion, for what I perceive it to be doing to my family. I do believe in God. I do hold Him sacred in my heart. But when it comes to religion, I just don't know. I want to get my kids baptised and allow them to go through the rites of first communion. But why? I myself know next to nothing about catholicism. Does it matter though? I mean, it doesn't hurt anything to be brought up in a religion and learn a bit about the history of the world if nothing else. But when religion overtakes you, body, mind, and spirit, then I see it as a problem. I don't believe that God would want this. The God that I believe in doesn't bend to any religion. He doesn't think that any one group is right. He just wants peace and happiness for all His children. And religion just doesn't offer that. If it isn't taken too far and you belong to a religious institution and act as a good person and treat all people with respect, then it doesn't matter which religion you chose to be. But, if you use your religion as a means to create this fantasy that you are better than everyone else in the world, well, that makes religion total BS. I guess I can honestly say that I believe in God but not the institution of religion. But, in general, in healthy people, I also don't think it spreads harm.

The problem arises when religion is accepted into the soul of an unhealthy person, and they use that as a basis for EVERY aspect of their life...as religion can be read into differently by every person, there is no ONE right answer. Even as a baptised Catholic, I don't agree with everythign I know about the Catholic church...this doesn't stop me from declaring myself Catholic, going to church on ocassion, raising my children to believe in God, and believing in Him myself. But it doesn't have to overtake my life, make me a menace, and cause me to believe in things that are plain WRONG. When religion overtakes your life,God is no more ...it is just religion overpowering you, and religion speaks for you...you are no longer your own being, rather one soldier in the army...and what happens with armies? They fight. It doesn't matter what morals and values you hold as a child of God, you fight for your own army, you disgrace God by hurting other people. This is what I see happening in my own family, and if what God wants is pain, then religion certainly delivers.

Now, again, I am not opposed to religion in the sense that it helps remind us of God, to remind us to live as God would want us to live, as He lived and died for us. BUT, when it goes too far, religion actually twists that love for God into damnation. Is that what God would want, for His children and His world? I think not. So, I urge you to rethink your principle, live for you, in God's loving way, and not for some army that has a mission to cause harm. I'm speaking to you, Travis, and all the millions that think and act as you do. You are NOT acting in God's best interest...you're doing much more harm than good. I just realized, I NEED to sing these songs about God, I need to sing out His praise, and in doing so, I WILL act as a child of God, for it is HE that I honor, and not some senseless institution that claims fame to being THE one...for only God Himself is Just....only God Himself is THE ONE, and God Himself is the only being I chose to honor.