I've always been told to never talk about politics or religion the first time I meet someone new, but here I am about to write to you about the latter.

My entire life, up until college, I was raised and identified as a Roman Catholic. I went to a private high school where conversations and lessons about God and religion were typical. I grew up in a relatively religious family and every Sunday, we went to the 9:00 a.m mass.

My grandparents are very traditional people. Things like tattoos or piercings, except the two on our earlobes, were forbidden in my family as they believed it tainted our bodies which were a temple for Christ. As a child I was baptized and, in middle school, I was confirmed. Throughout my entire life, up until college, I was closely tied to religion. The Catholic Church was a place I often found comfort in as a child. As I grew older, I became more aware of the core beliefs and understandings accepted by those who identified as a Roman Catholic; the beliefs I was expected to stand behind and accept as a Roman Catholic. Due to contrasting views and opinions on a core belief accepted by the Roman Catholic Church, I no longer identify as a Roman Catholic.

There are so many narratives in the Bible that non-religious people use as an argument to not believe in God: the idea that Jesus turned water into wine, that Jesus was seen walking on water, and other unbelievable miracles. As a child and adolescent in high school, I could stand behind the concept of a blind faith; I accepted that faith was based on a belief in something you could not see. I could accept the story of doubting Thomas and remain religious even though I had no tangible proof that God existed. I understood that the narratives in the Bible were to be taken with a grain of salt, meaning that not every word or idea in the Bible was meant to be taken literally. I could even get behind the idea that the communion accepted and taken during mass was the body and blood of Christ. However, I could not stand behind or believe in a religion that told me that my best friend, a guy I have known for years, was going to Hell for loving a man.

My best friend is homosexual and, in accordance to the Roman Catholic Church, his love for another man was not only a horrendous and erroneous sin but one that would send him to Hell if he did not choose to refrain from being himself and from loving who he loved. This single, core belief was the one that completely deterred me from the faith I had been tied to my entire life.

The current Pope advocates for everyone to "be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity," even those with a homosexual orientation. A stance that presents love and acceptance to all its believers; however, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a summary of the official church's teachings and doctrines, also clearly states that "Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that 'homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered'. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved" (Catechism 2357).

This idea that my best friend, who has found love with another man, was going to go to hell quickly became a belief I couldn't stand behind.

It is a core understanding of the Roman Catholic Church that I could not believe in - a fundamental religious belief in which my entire being and soul completely disagreed. I believe in love and in being who you are no matter what - two concepts the Catholic Church claimed to do, with the exception of those who are homosexual. I also believe that you cannot be associated with a faith you do not completely agree with, and in order to not be labeled a hypocrite or non-believer, I decided to sever myself from my label as a Roman Catholic.

Now, I am not someone who hates those who believe in God or associate with the Roman Catholic Church, because that would not only be close-minded but also, ridiculous. I loved the faith, but I simply did not agree with the fundamental belief that homosexual love and homosexual acts were inherently wrong. I do not hate those who do agree with the Catholic Church, as many Catholics I have met are wonderful, loving and understanding people. I do not hate every aspect of the Catholic Church, as it is one that has taught and shaped me immensely in my formative years.

The Catholic Church has taught me to be generous to those less fortunate than myself, to be kind to everyone I meet, and to not judge others or be influenced by mere gossip. It taught me the power of forgiveness and love. There are many beliefs, characteristics, and teachings of the religion that I still retain in my life, but I am no longer a Roman Catholic.

I refuse to be a hypocrite; therefore, I could not back a religion that told me that my best friend was going to hell for simply loving a man.