It heals. It hurts. It confuses. It explains. It's the cause of war. It's the cause of love. It builds and it breaks. This article is something I never thought I would share with people. I like to keep to myself and not share opinions that might cause waves, but I think that it's important to share opinions and ideas, so this article is me sharing mine. Religion is many different things to many different people, but this is what it is to me. Religion is something I took for granted growing up. I was the typical kid who listened to whatever my parents told me and didn't question it. As I've grown older, I have developed opinions and beliefs of my own. I am not a loudly religious person. I don't advertise my religion to the world, but that does not mean I am not proud of it. I am not ashamed of my beliefs, despite what others may think. I prefer my relationship with religion and my beliefs to be intimate. I am not condemning others who differ in their practices or beliefs -- this is just my preference.

My religion has not only provided me with a basis to build my faith from, but a community in which to grow it. The acceptance of the values and lessons taught in this community have also helped me develop my identity. My religion helped me to become the person I am today, and has guided my faith and belief in living a giving lifestyle. My religious community has been there for me for as long as I can remember. I’ve grown up with them, and it’s just like having another family. These people who I’ve met and grown to know have not only shaped my faith, but have continuously supported and guided me throughout my journey in discovering who I am and what I believe in. The people are incredibly supportive, understanding, and most of all accepting of the differences everyone has. They have allowed me to grow as an individual, and respect where our beliefs may differ without condemning one another. Where others may see only what the holy book says and what the written word describes, I have learned to look more closely to find meaning in the stories being told and to dig deeper. Instead of searching for literal meaning in the text, I find the lessons of humility, sacrifice, caring, and selflessness that are being shared. I believe in the morals and the values being portrayed more than the actual stories shared in our holy book. These beliefs have allowed me to live a life striving to maintain the morals and values I believe to be true, while also granting me understanding and insight into how other people identify in their faith.

I won’t lie, I struggle with my faith often. I find it hard to have faith when there is so much hate and negativity in our world, but I have recently realized that is exactly why I need it. I need to learn to accept that having faith means that I won’t receive all of the answers I want, but instead it will grant me acceptance in knowing that there are things that just can’t be understood or explained. As a college student in a science major I am constantly surrounded by science and facts and definitive proof; I am always told to find the explanations as to why things are the way they are, so having faith in the things that I can’t explain sometimes bothers me. I am working on my trust and growing to accept that I don’t need to know all the why’s and how’s of the world.