"I like the silent church before the service begins, better than any preaching."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

What is religion exactly? Is it a set of rules that a higher being has designed for us to live by? Is it a congregation of people who believe so strongly in a being that it becomes real? Or is it just simply a feeling so great that not even the most perfect of words could do it justice? Well, I guess the simple answer to all of these questions would be yes.

I am a born again Christian. I love my religion and I live my life defined by my faith.

For many years I struggled a lot with religion and what it meant and if I really believed in anything at all. My problem was never with God himself or whether or not I believed in him, my problem was always the interpretations of it. I hated how depending on the church or even just the person the interpretation of "God's word" could change so dramatically. I mean one second I'm learning to love my neighbor as I love myself no matter the circumstance and the next second I'm being talked into going to an "anti-gay" rally because apparently God loves everybody except the gays.

*Disclaimer* that's not true.

It wasn't until recently that I had a revelation on what my faith actually is.

You see, I find freedom in my faith. I find happiness and purpose in my religion. And these things gives me a platform of love and compassion to base my life off of and I think that's the most important part of any religion.

So many times in my life I've seen people shunned for their beliefs and how they practice them and that is so ridiculously unfair. I couldn't possibly bare to say to someone "yeah your beliefs are cool and all but mine are better and more important than yours". And I mean what is the whole big deal with shunning people for having a belief system at all?

I believe that anybody who dedicates their life to believing in something that will give them purpose and make them a better person should have the right to that belief.

In Emerson's quotes [seen at beginning] he's not oppressing the word of God by saying that he prefers silence to any preaching, but he's allowing it to speak through the silence in the church.

There is a certain feeling before service begins, when the whole church is silent awaiting the sermon. When everybody's hearts are open to receive and there's this ambiance of relaxation shared by the congregation. That feeling. That is what faith is. That is what religion should be defined by.

That feelings of wholeness; that feeling of belonging; that feeling of peace is what I base my life off of and what drives my faith. And I think anybody of any belief system and any background should also be allowed the right to experience that feeling.

I no longer struggle with my belief system because I know where I stand in my faith. That's definitely not to say that I don't have my flaws and self-doubt, after all I'm only human. But what I do have is faith in God and hopefully the ability to be a catalyst to bring that feeling of wholeness, and belonging, and peace to others.

And that's what defines me. And I think that's what defines almost everybody; it's faith in something that is bigger than we are. Whether it be a feeling or a being, we are all defined by faith.