Why I am not religious

Before I begin, I will start by saying I have absolutely nothing against religious people. I am respectful of people of all faiths and beliefs if they are sincere and/or well thought-out. I think our differences are what make us beautiful.

However, I am not a religious person, and for those who are interested enough to start reading this hub, I will explain why.

I have many friends who are religious, and I have even gone to their churches or other places of worship upon their requests. I have read parts of the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the Koran, and with believers who could explain the texts to me. I have even taken courses and workshops in world faiths and religions.

I guess you could say I was raised Christian; my mother is certainly a believer of God, and though she doesn't go to church weekly or anything, I go with her on holidays like Easter and Christmas and she shares her beliefs with me. I know her faith has helped her through the death of her mother, and I respect that. I know belief in God has helped many people through hard times, and I think it's wonderful.

Perhaps it's because I've had no reason to believe in God. I have yet felt no need for guidance or assistance in my life other than from mundane sources.

Maybe it hasn't been explained to me well enough. I certainly haven't experienced anything to show me a presence of a god or other deity. I'm not well traveled, and I feel like I'm only familiar with a few of the world's many faiths.

Strange as it sounds, I've always sort of wanted to be religious. I think it's beautiful to put faith in something that's not necessarily tangible.

However, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get myself to really believe. I started with Christianity but I didn't find truth in everything the Bible said. I have always been a lover of science and biology and found I couldn't believe in both. I spoke at length with the faithful in efforts to be converted, but something within me couldn't allow me to give myself up to religion.

Maybe I love my independence too much. I certainly don't agree with all the parts of certain religions, and I don't think I can believe in something I don't like the sound or the impression of.

Today I'm perfectly content with my life and my relationships with people whether they are religious or not. I no longer necessarily seek to be embraced by a fatih or to believe, though I still love to learn about them and how they affect the world's people.