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I’m one of the least religious people you’ll ever meet. I
sing John Lennon’s Imagine,
and mean every word-especially the part about religion.
It baffles and saddens me what people do to each other
because of religion. Leaving wars and other types of violence for deeper posts
(and blogs), I also detest it when people get extremely prejudiced against
other people.
That being said, I’m not so oblivious to the fact that I’m a
bit prejudiced about extremely religious people. If they are open and sweet people,
I admire them. But when people think that heaven is all about following one
particular religion blindly, it does get on my nerves.
Oh, I never said I don’t believe in God. I do. However I see
where atheists come from and respect their opinions too.
I don’t like how religions are interpreted for the most of
the time. I believe that we should just all be as nice and humane as possible,
and if there is a higher being, we will all be just judged according to how
good we have been. However I doubt being good has a lot to do with what we
wear, how much we date or how much we follow a society’s norms.
So when it comes to dating, I wouldn’t want to date an
overtly, strictly religious person- whatever that religion might be. I don’t
care for traditions if I haven’t created them, and when it comes to following
rituals, I’m too questioning to just join in for the ride.
Why does religion matter? Do you also not date people who
don’t support your favorite sports teams? What, did my analogy see shallow or
stupid? Don’t get mad just yet - bear with me:
I have a favorite soccer team. Do you know why? Because my dad
supports it. When I was 2, I was supporting my mom’s team, who was supporting
my uncle’s team. Guess what, she doesn’t care about soccer either, but my uncle
does, and so does my dad. So she and my grandmother, as a gesture to my dad,
made me switch. And because I’ve been sort of supporting my dad’s team for over
two decades now, I’m used to it.
I like it when they win because it puts my dad in a good
mood. And I do get the faintest of thrills. Faintest, because if they lose, I
couldn’t care less.
I have a religion too, by the way. Guess what? My mother and
my father belong to this religion. They are both sort of religious, though they
are not strict. I was born into it, and if you asked me if I had a religion, I
sort of have an answer. Do I feel like I belong there? Not really. I accept a
few basic rules that seem logical and humane (and stuff that no religion or a
moral person can argue with. You know, like, killing is bad).
Because of this “light” relationship I have with religion, I
really don’t care what what religion any guy I date belongs or doesn’t belong
to.
But the more religious people get, the more they tend to
want to be with people who share their beliefs, so I feel that I’m more suited
for agnostics, or people like me, who were born into their religions, and don’t
feel any closer to any other religion to go about changing theirs.
But at 28, as much as I don’t care about soccer, I wouldn’t
change my team. Just like I wouldn’t change my religion. And I wouldn’t ask
anyone to change his.
How about you? Does your (lack of) religion/belief affect
your romantic life? And how so?
Imagine Lyrics
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
