Redefining Faith as an Adult
We've all been here. We move out of our parent's house, go into the workforce, go to college, and from then on we have to ask ourselves: what's my moral code? What do I believe or believe in, and why?
I was raised in a Christian household. I grew up going to church every Sunday, helping out with Vacation Bible School skits in the summers, learning to harmonize while singing next to my mom in the pew. When I went away to college, I tried to stick to this same regamine: go to church, sing the songs, greet the people, do the right thing, what have you. It was comfortable and familiar, so why deviate from the schedule? However, in college, I've done more than follow the script I'd followed with my family for the first eighteen years of my life. I started to redefine my own faith away from my parents. I realized there were some things I did not agree with, some things I didn't fully understand, some things that made complete sense, some things I'd learned before but needed to revisit. There were times when my faith was shaken, and I had to decide if I was going to get back on the Jesus train again.
Regardless of my faith walk--I say faith because religion, to me, is sticking to a script whereas faith or spirituality is having a true relationship with God, a deity, etc--growing up in the church has laid down a pretty strong moral foundation for myself. Continuing in the church after leaving home has led to me better understanding myself, my future plans, my walk through life--and to forming some of the closest friendships and making some of my favourite memories as a college student.
But enough about me--what about some other folks? I was interested in knowing how some other young folks have redefined their faith in adulthood, so I asked them each a question: How has your faith/religious views changed from when you were a kid to now?
Response #1: It's probably strengthened since I was little because now I can actually understand why we do certain things and now that I deal with like actual adult things it's a comfort to turn to faith
Response #2: I think that experience shapes our understanding and belief of God, and each individual has a different perspective of of what 'God' is. I was raised to believe that this is not OK. As I child, I was forced to believe something I couldn't quite grasp. Conventional wisdom tells me I should be in church if I'm a 'good' person, but I disagree--I think religion is each to his own. I think there are different ways to serve God without going to church. I actually chose not to attend anymore because I haven't found that commitment to a local fellowship does not deepen my relationship with God, but rather makes me lose passion and affection for God. I am part of the church without attending; not all of us grow spiritually through the same environment.
Response #3: I would say my faith has become a lot less second nature and more of a choice. When I was young, it was all I knew, but now I know a lot more and have other opinions than where my parents brought me to church. So in some ways, I would say it's stronger because I do 'choose' to believe what I believe.
Response #4: "I grew up in a Catholic family, so my views were conservative. I believed in sins such as premarital sex, having a baby out of wedlock, divorce, etc.I truly believed that one mistake or bad choice would grant me a ticket straight to hell. I became slightly paranoid. Moving forward to middle school, my science classes became a catalyst to my doubts of one God or any god. There was so much bad in the world, it did not make sense to me that horrible things would happen to good people. It did not make sense that one being could create the whole world. It wasn't until high school I decided I was atheist. My family was not thrilled about this. I could tell my mother felt that she must have done something wrong in raising me for me to deny "God." In my mind, though, I was upset that religion had such a control over my mother's thoughts/views it made her question the way she raised me. Through school, I learned humans are not much different than animals; we're mammals. We are chemical reactions in constant motion.I believed that once a person died, they died. There is no heaven or hell, he/she no longer exists.
Now-a-days, I consider myself agnostic. After becoming a nurse, I have found myself more spiritual than religious. I have faith in humanity, and that good things can happen in the world without religious influence. I feel that conformed religion is dangerous & allows for dogmatic views to live on only to restrict a person's choices in life. Separation of Church and State needs to be more practiced. I should add, I do not find a person who believes in a God to be stupid. Religion can offer hope/security in a time of need. I no longer believe in sins, only bad choices/people. I still don't believe there is a heaven or hell, but I do believe the energies of those whom have left the earth are still present. The first law of thermodynamics states that energy can neither be lost or destroyed. Because of this law and the events that I have experienced personally, especially in the medical field, situations have appeared too connected to be coincidental."
What about you? How your faith has grown or changed?
Love and Light,
Reina M
