Sarah Chaltry Jamey Dunham English Comp. 1 7 December 2013 Blind aith !

eligion is continuously one o the most argued topics among people and has been or centuries. "his single topic has torn nations to shreds# started $ars in the name o a deity# and caused senseless bloodshed since its creation. "oday in %merica# it is a ne&er'ending battle o $ills among the sel 'proclaimed Christian conser&ati&es against liberals across the nation o&er $ho is right and $ho is $rong. (y parents themsel&es are part o this battle o $ills and as e)tremely righteous people ha&e raised my siblings and * to belie&e in their ideas and morals pertaining to +od# as $ell as to attend church e&ery Sunday and ,ednesday. "hey are &ery strict in their belie s and ha&e many o the habits o a stereotypical -+odly. person. / course# mysel being a young child# * loo0ed up to my parents because they are all * ha&e 0no$n since birth. * adopted their philosophies $ithout 1uestion and * strongly belie&ed they $ere right and there $ere no other options * $ould consider. * did e&erything that $as as0ed o me rom attending Sunday school be ore ser&ice to participating in small group acti&ities2 * $as the per ect little church girl or a ma3ority o my childhood and launted my religious belie s around to others thin0ing that * $as better then them. *t $as not until * reached the last couple years o high school that * reali4ed $hat e)actly * had blindly put my aith in or all those years and ho$ &ery $rong * had been to not 1uestion aith 1uic0er. * $as not sure that anyone had e&er elt the same about religion or i anyone had actually gre$ to re3ect many teachings o the church# ho$e&er# Elton John summed up my eelings on the sub3ect completely $hen he said# -* gre$ up

Chaltry'2 conser&ati&e because my mum $as a conser&ati&e# and $hen * inally reali4ed $hat conser&ati&es $ere# * changed my mind immediately..."he reality is that organi4ed religion doesn5t seem to $or0. *t turns people into hate ul lemmings and it5s not really compassionate.. Christians can be some o the most hypocritical people in the $orld. "hey are supposed to be leaders and set $holesome e)amples o 0indness and charity# but * ha&e $itnessed many to be people that contradict the &ery essence o Christianity through crude# 3udgmental $ords and actions. "he basic principle o Christianity and +od is that he lo&es e&eryone# is 0ind to those less ortunate# and abo&e all orgi&ing o sins2 "his gi&es hope to many people going through hard times and the di icult circumstances o li e. %lthough# more o ten than not 6church people7 loo0 do$n upon those people that are di erent then themsel&es# a&oid the people in need# and ocus only on themsel&es and their o$n petty problems. E&en $hen the bible7s basic teachings are to lo&e e&eryone no matter $hat and to al$ays put others be ore onesel many Christians do not ollo$ this undamental part o the scripture. (y 0no$ledge o church and ho$ to thin0 $as completely in luenced by mother and ather# and it $as not until * started to see my church rom a di erent perspecti&e# other than the one my parents had orced on me# that * truly sa$ ho$ many people $ere acting to$ards each other and outsiders ali0e. * began to reali4e 3ust ho$ corrupt the church and it7s members can actually be# and it $as e)tremely apparent to me that * did not $ant to be apart o these people because * sa$ the greedy# sel ish attitudes rom a ma3ority o the congregation. "his group o hypocritical and 3udgmental people thought that 3ust because they $ent to church on Sunday and said they belie&ed in +od made them a Christian and a good person. 8o$e&er# there is so much more than 3ust attending church to be considered a Christian and many do not ha&e the &alues o sel lessness and caring nature that they should ha&e to help others.

Chaltry'3 Church going Christians preach to others about lo&ing god and helping out the community# but only a e$ act upon these teachings. (ission trips are tal0ed about endlessly once they are completed $ith the participants sharing their e)periences and ho$ humble they ha&e become no$. (any eel that they ha&e gro$n by being a$ay in ne$ oreign place $ithout all o the material items and amenities that $e are blessed as a nation to ha&e here. Con&ersation about the trip is e&ery$here $hen the group comes bac0 rom ho$e&er ar a$ay they ha&e tra&eled to# but soon a ter a e$ days that humbleness and gro$th as a person appears to ha&e been lost once again to most. "hey orget about the modest li e they ha&e been a part o and ho$ they sur&i&ed $ithout anything that $e ha&e here at home# and they go bac0 to the $ay they $ere acting be ore they $ent on the trip getting all $rapped up in their o$n li&es and ignoring the problems o others. "he $illingness o people to spend thousands o dollars to tra&el to a place in a oreign country is great and generous# but there is also a real need to help people in our community $ithout spending the money on e)pensi&e lights or hotels# people $ho li&e right do$n the street could be in trouble. % amily $hose 0ids go hungry at night or someone $hom has lost their 3ob and can no longer a ord a roo o&er their head# and it could e&en be someone $hose been in an accident that le t them $heelchair bound or li e. "here $ill al$ays be people in our o$n communities that need help and spending tons o money to help others in other countries is great# but things can be done right here in our o$n bac0yard by doing simple things to help people such as helping $ith the yard $or0 o a disabled or elderly person or ma0ing a meal or a amily that could not a ord dinner. "hese so called Christians spend a $ee0 or so li&ing $ithout air conditioning or running $ater and belie&e their dues are paid ma0ing them automatically good people# ho$e&er# they ignore the basic problems here at home because they cant be bothered $ith anything other than themsel&es.

Chaltry'9 "he intentions o !eligion and Christianity are good# but most ollo$ers ha&e lost sight o $hat it should mean to be a Christian and a good person. (any o the ollo$ers are closed minded indi&iduals that $ill not tolerate anything or anyone di erent then themsel&es. !eligion has turned people against their o$n race at times and it breeds hate and discrimination in e&ery generation due to parents orcing their o$n belie s on their children. * mysel $as con orming to my parent7s political and religious &ie$s blindly# not 0no$ing $hat * $as standing up or. / ten * ound mysel $ith a strong opinion on a matter such as gay rights or abortion * 0ne$ nothing about# * 3ust 0ne$ that my parents elt a certain $ay# and so * did too. * could not support any o my opinions because in reality they $ere not my o$n my parents had put them in my head and * 3ust regurgitated their $ords $hene&er a matter came up. * truly had no idea $hat * $as tal0ing about at times $ithout any e)periences o my o$n to base my opinions on. Since * gre$ up around so many conser&ati&es# * $as ne&er educated on anything other than conser&atism and that it $as the only $ay to thin0 and eel. "here $as nothing $rong about being conser&ati&e because that side o the belie $as ne&er introduced to me. Elton John articulated per ectly ho$ * elt about my belie s on religion in his 1uote about his o$n li e and e)periences $ith religion and de&out people. ,e both $ere conser&ati&e because our mother7s $ere# but once $e understood $hat it $as $e thoughtlessly belie&ed in# $e made our o$n decision to change our belie s. 8e had a great understanding o ho$ organi4ed religion can be the complete opposite o $hat they actually teach. "he Christian church people ha&e turned into a sel ish# hate ul# and sub3ecti&e society that teaching about god7s grace and accepting nature# but disgrace those teachings by condemning sinners and ignoring the underpri&ileged.