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The church is opposed to all of these. I was baptized Catholic, and raised in
a Catholic family. I went to Catholic school, and made my first communion,
reconciliation, and confirmation there. I enjoyed my time in Catholic school,
and am grateful to my parents for putting me there. However, it was never my
choice to be Catholic, that's just the way it always was. By the time I was in
high school, my parents let me decide if I wanted to continue going to Church on
Sundays, and I, being a teenager, decided that sleeping in on Sundays was a much
better idea. I haven't attended church regularly since then, but I still
consider myself to be Catholic, just not a practicing one. I plan to get married
in the Church, and to have a funeral there as well. It is a part of me, and who
I am, and I am glad I have that faith to turn to.
My relationship with God is private, and I don't feel the need to go to
Church every Sunday to maintain that relationship. My mom always let me be
exposed to other religions, and taught me that I shouldn't judge anyone based on
their religious beliefs. This has proven to be hard for me, I sometimes tend to
be elitist when it comes to my religion. Now that I have taken this class and
learned about other religions, I realize that my religion is right for me, but
it might not be right for everyone. I appreciate the fact that my parents raised
me with a spiritual background. I can't imagine not being exposed to God.
Although I sometimes take it for granted, I rely on my faith to get me through
rough times, and it has definitely helped. I think that one of the reasons that
I no longer attend Church is because I find it very boring. I think that a lot
of the religion is out of touch. I want to learn how to apply my beliefs to the
here and now.
In school I learned that God loves all, but the Church is unaccepting of
homosexuals. I have a problem with that because I feel that it is not a choice,
and they are entitled to live their lives the way that makes them happy. I hope
that in the future, the Church will accept them for what they are: God's
children. The Church is also opposed to the death penalty. The Church believes
that anyone whose life is terminated in a gas chamber, by hanging, by lethal
injection or by a firing squad is one of us-a human person, a brother or a
sister, however cruel and inhumane his or her actions may appear.
That is probably the one thing that the Church has taken a firm stance on
that I 100% agree with. The two things that I 100% disagree with is the Church's
stance on birth control and premarital sex, or sex for procreation only. I know
that the Church is taking a look at this stance with the overwhelming tragedy of
AIDS. People should be able to express love, and it shouldn't' matter whether or
not they're married or want to have children. People are dying of AIDS, and
there are unwanted pregnancies that could be prevented by birth control. I am on
the fence about abortion. As a woman, I believe in the right to choose, but as a
Catholic, I'm not sure if it is taking a life or not. I definitely believe that
women should be able to have the same opportunities as men do in the church.
That is something that I see changing as the church evolves. I plan on being
Catholic forever, and I am proud of my religion and spirituality. My religious
beliefs have made me a better, more compassionate, and stronger person. I
believe in life after death, and look forward to the end of my faith-journey. I
am glad that I was exposed to many other religions in this class. It has taught
me to be more understanding of differences. The Perennial Philosophy taught me
that we're not all that different after all. Religion should be a choice, and
although my parents gave me a foundation in Catholicism, ultimately it is my
choice. And I'm proud of my choice.
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