Religion!

PC Cast has an interesting topic going on over at her blog about religion. It so got me going that I decided to blog about it here too. I'm pagan. I'm polytheistic and a follower of Demeter, the Greek Goddess of the Harvest. I was raised Roman Catholic and I consider myself to be a recovering Catholic.

I'm very proud of what I am. I discovered paganism when I was sixteen. My mom was going through cancer and I needed something to believe in. Though I grew up technically as a Catholic, none of us ever really followed in the ways of the church. My mother was a victim of rape when she was younger and the priest told her that the only way God could forgive her, the victim of the crime, was if she became a nun. It was impossible to believe in a religion that blamed her for the criminal act of another.

So, years later when my mom was diagnosed, I went on a spiritual quest. I started reading Greek myths and fell in love with the story of Demeter and how she dealt with the kidnapping of her daughter Persephone. I knew then and there that following her was right for me. But, just because it's right for me doesn't mean it's right for anyone else. Heck, my brother is a Buddhist.

I have never denied my religion. I'm not ashamed of it or feel the need to hide it. But I also don't advertise it. If you ask me point blank I'll tell you straight up that I'm pagan. But, aside from this blog entry, I don't talk about it. Two topics you should never discuss in public; religion and politics.

A couple years ago a couple of coworkers asked me about my faith and I told them. They were genuinely interested in my beliefs so we chatted while we worked and I answered their questions. Another coworker overheard us and waylaid me during a break. She was a born again Christian and considered it her sacred duty to save my soul before I was damned to hell.

I have never tried to convert anyone to my religion. All I ask is for the same courtesy. In the first place, I don't believe in hell. I also don't believe my soul needs saving. I'm not saying my religion is right or better than anyone else's. All I'm saying is let me believe what I believe and leave it at that. What you believe is your own personal business and if it makes you happy than that's great. I'm happy with what I believe and that's all that matters to me. In the end, everyone has the right to follow what's in their own hearts. That is what freedom of religion is all about.

If you'd like to see PC's blog about this topic, just click on the link I have up for her. And there ends my sermon for the day.:-)