Blogger Contest 2010

I spent Friday after school with Celine, the French foreign exchange student, and Claire at the Dollar Tree. The topic of eternal damnation came up in conversation. Celine was convinced she was going to hell since religious people were apparently telling her so. Oddly enough, she rejoiced with Claire, who also joked she was going to hell! I stayed quiet, keeping my thoughts inside my mind:

“It's not easy being religious.”

Sometimes it takes all you have to believe in something. In my early years, I was an atheist who regarded religion as a fable and God as fictional. Now that I’ve become a practicing Catholic, I feel more at home in the world. I feel at peace knowing I can accomplish everything with God’s help, even living a “good” life. After all trying to be “good” sometimes is worth more than living a life of sin.

Unfortunately, some pious people in the world choose to condemn others to the fiery pit, making everyone accept a hell-bound fate. We religious people are so focused on living the “right” way that we judge ourselves and others more. Like how a clean shirt can make a tiny red spot visible, living a good life can highlight your sins, no matter how small they can be. The main point here is that don't be so hard on yourself. God is forgiving and you can always turn to him for help.

Maybe it is kind of easy being religious after all...