Ok, I had posted this on another board and I felt that I should post it here also.

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Recently I have grown more and more weary of religion. My father, a teacher in the church, has become what many people call a "Bible Thumper". For those of you who don't know what this is, it is basically a Fundementalist Christian. A Christian who believes that the bible is the exact word of God, that is exactly how you should live, and anything else is of Satan. Because of this radical way of thinking and believing, I have been subjected to excessive amounts of preaching for "my own good". I have heard every line in the book from "If you don't straighten your ways you will burn in hell" to "What would Jesus do?".

When normally I would look forward to a day of rest on Sunday, now I dread that day with my father. The day I must attend his church. So, I sit in the back by myself not paying attention to the sermon. Usually I sit back there and see if I can sleep with my eyes open our count the hairs on the back of the person's head in front of me. Then after church my father asks me "What did you learn in church?" and I give my usual response "That your church is full of it". I often question him as to why I must attend every Sunday and he says it is good for me. How? How is not paying attention to a sermon about how I will burn in hell good for me? Does it raise my moral any? I don't think so.

Because of my experiences with this, I have grown to hate the Christian religion as a whole. Now I know that is just being stereotypical and that not all churches act this way but I figure ignore them all and you don't have to worry about the few. But I am not saying I do not believe in a higher power, whether that be a god or another race. I don't care if they are all knowing all powerful beings who can zap you dead if you make one wrong move. I just know that they exist.

Religion has become a topic that I am not always willing to discuss. It has become very annoying to sit and listen to the same dribble over and over from people that don't know how to screw on a bottle top but somehow seem to know the answers to life. I try to reason with them, but I guess to be in a religion you must be stubborn. Must be a commandment.

I have studied other religions, so don't try that one on me just yet. I have learned about Islamic, Judism, Buddhism, Wiccan, Pagan, and a few more. From these I base my own beliefs. Beliefs I hold true to myself. And it is that idea that I wish people would grasp. That you should never force your thoughts on others, but that is the main idea of organized religion. To get others to believe the way you do. And it is rather amusing to think about it. Many religions believe God gave us Free Will, but yet they believe that you can't use it if you want to go to heaven. You HAVE to believe their way, and no one else's. That is where I differ.

To me, there is no heaven and there is no hell. All are one in the same, and and Earth can be our own heaven and our own hell. We need no punishing, we do that ourselves. It maybe rather cliche but I think that if you make bad choices, you will screw up your life. And that is your punishment. We don't need eternal damnation in a boiling pit of despair. And we also don't need infinate happiness in a land of milk and honey. For we can create those worlds for ourselves.

Religion has become another hobbie or chore for many people. Something that we do out of habit, out of fear, or out of boredom. We go and listen to sermons that say the same thing day after day only in new and fasinating ways then live on our lives, mostly ignoring that which we had learned that Sunday prior.

Religion has become one of the major sins in life from my viewpoint. It is a major cause of war, death, and corruption. Many wars are fought over differences of religion. Many people die because of beliefs. And many officials are corrupted by power offered by the church. That is why the seperation of church and state was a blessing to government.

So I guess I am saying that I dislike Religion as a whole. As said in the movie Dogma, don't believe something, but have a good idea.