"You expect all these amazing miracles from the guy - the least you could do is dedicate one hour of your week to him."
These were my dad's defiant words of wisdom at dinner last week as my stepsister and I complained about all the rules in religion, claiming we were more spiritual than religious. We were raised Catholic, but the "CEO" type - "Christmas Easter Only." Although Dad wishes we'd gone to mass more often, we always found excuses not to. We'd say, "9 a.m. is too early!" or "I don't want the priest to slap me on the head again after mass!" (in the South, they literally hit you over the head with religion).
As I cleaned up after dinner, Dad's words were stuck on repeat in my head. I promise I'm not here to preach - I was also raised Jewish. My mother is Jewish, so we went to temple, about as frequently as my dad and stepmom and stepsister and I went to church. I've had First Communion and a Bat Mitzvah, so I like to think I've either got my bases covered or I'm going to Hell twice.
Just wait, it gets more confusing. I'm from Tennessee, where many people don't consider Catholics to be Christian. Furthermore, if you say you're Jewish, a normal response is "How nice, which church do you attend?" Point being, I still don't know what religion I am or if I even am one. Lately, I have called myself theist, which means I believe in God. According to the New World Encyclopedia, theism includes Christians, Jews, Hindus and Muslims, to name a few. Basically, I believe in God, but I don't know which religion he belongs to, and frankly, I don't understand why he has to belong to a certain one. I believe he wants us to treat others as we would be treated and leave the world better than we found it. Beyond that, I don't see the need to get any more specific because that requires one religion being right and the others being wrong, which has caused more than a few wars throughout history.
Despite my confusion, I believe Dad's words still ring true. You can be spiritual, religious, both, or neither, but don't be lazy. Whether it's God or the universe or family and friends or yourself, you probably have someone to thank for the things in your life that you're grateful for. It's a new year, so why not make a new habit and set aside time to figure out what you're thankful for, and give thanks? It'll cheer you up when you're down, and keep you grounded when you're on top of the world. Plus, for all that you're grateful for, someone somewhere is grateful for you too.
