Religion is a sensitive subject. I realize that. However, I have my own opinions. Some you may or may not agree with but they are ones that I feel need to be said.

First of all, I was raised Catholic. I attended religion classes. I was baptized, made my holy communion and my confirmation. I went to church on Sunday and every holiday mass. All of which I would not ever change.

But as I get older the more confused I become. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in God. I believe there is something out there that explains everything and anything. I believe in praying. I believe in heaven. I believe in miracles. I believe in going to church for peace, hope, faith, and guidance.

What I do not believe in is greed. I do not believe in superiority complexes and hypocrisy. I certainly do not believe in a place where people believe they can judge and use God’s word against others. The church is supposed to be a holy place, but it seems like no one follows that rule. Sins are swept away like dirt on a marble floor and money is collected at the door like people are buying their ticket to heaven.

To be clear, I’m not criticising all church going people but rather the church as a whole and the concept it has become. I’m talking to the people that use it as a social event. The people who use the church to fit in and do whatever everyone else is doing instead of actually listening, paying attention and following the word of the lord. I’m also talking to the people who do pay attention but still pick and choose which parts of Christianity to follow and which to not all while claiming to be saints.

My point is, nobody is perfect. However, I’m going to need people to stop pretending like going to church makes them a better than everyone else. I’ve said this for years but I’ll say it again, going to church doesn’t make you a good Catholic or a good person for that matter. What makes you a good Catholic is what you do outside of church and if you aren’t practicing what you preach, I don’t want to hear it.

You could say I’m not looking at this the right way, that I’m getting it all wrong, that the church is the way it is for a purpose and God always has a reason. I’m just curious about what that reason is that I just don’t see it.

What I want is for church to have meaning again. I want to want to go. I want to feel enlightened and close to a greater power than myself. I know that is a state of mind and to get there you have to be open to letting it in but you can’t ignore that what I’m saying holds some truth.

With that, here’s my question for you, whether you’re a religious person or not: How do you ignore the bad parts of something that is supposed to be good? How do you turn a blind eye to the evil parts of something that is supposed to be so pure? How do you claim to be something and yet not follow its teachings?