I grew up in a household where church on Sunday was not an option. My parents raised me to be catholic and I never once fought it as a child. Growing up, I almost thought that other religions were "wrong", but as I got older I realized the basis of most faiths are similar.

Recently the priest scandals have resurfaced and that's something that I can't turn a blind eye to. Yet, if someone asks me if I'm catholic, I will answer 'yes'. Many people would be quick to say, "YOU SUPPORT CHILDREN BEING MOLESTED." They could say that, but that is the furthest thing from the truth. I do not support the people who have violated innocent children. The catholic church is universal, meaning there's plenty of room for corruption. In any profession there are going to be bad people (such as good cop vs. bad cop). You cannot simply stereotype people based on their religious affiliation. Just because I attend church does not mean I fully support the church on earth.

Yes, I am catholic, but I do not believe in the church on earth. Strange, because I attend church; however, I purely attend. I don't go to church because I was raised to, or because I call myself a catholic, I go because I believe.

People often ask me, "How come you're catholic and you do____", or "Isn't ______ against your religion?" Indeed, it is; however, I'm a human. I was taught that God created us to have free will, I make mistakes, such as anyone else. Another question I often have to answer is, "How do you feel about gay people?" My answer has always been the same, they're people, they should be treated as such. A sexual preference does not define a person and no religious point of view can change that.

I have been told that catholic people are intolerant and unaccepting. The first people to say, "You're going to hell for ____" are the people who do not have faith. The bible is thousands of years old, it isn't perfect, it isn't always clear. Nowhere in the bible does it say "You're better than someone based on your age/gender/sexual orientation." Meaning, If these judgmental people truly had faith, they wouldn't feel the need to scrutinize people for their sexual orientation and other life choices.

Over the years many people have said to me, "you don't peg me as the church type." I often laugh at that, because of how little they know. I could stumble in to church hungover and wearing the same clothes from the night before and sit next to a person in a shirt and tie without feeling inferior. This is because of the faith that I have. If someone truly called themselves a follower of Christ they wouldn't judge others for their sins, they would believe that God created everyone equally and that there is good in every person.

Being raised catholic did not make me a better person. I am the accepting person I am today because of the faith I have in God. The church on earth is flawed without a doubt, and that's because we're human we make mistakes. So, before you accuse someone of supporting rape and misogamy take in to account that individual Catholics do not account for the mistakes of the catholic church.