My Mission: Over the course of a year or more, one month at a time, I will attempt to practice and experience a single, different religion or spiritual belief.
I think that it's only fair, given the purpose of this blog, to start by saying that I am, emphatically, agnostic. I neither believe in God nor rail against him. In theory, I don't really have a problem with him but, given my childhood, I'm not exactly his biggest fan, either.
Well, that's not quite true. I've got nothing against God, per se. I'm pretty sure, given what I know about him, he's never really done anything to me. However, after a childhood of torture at the hands of "good" Christians, with all of their hypocrisy and damnation, I can say, definitively, that I am not a fan of religion. Religion has been, for the majority of my life, the bane of my existence, truth be told. I'm not going to say that religion is the root of all evil but I'd hazard a guess that the people who practice it are.
Now, now, before you get in a huff, I'm not saying EVERY person who is religious is an asshole. I've met religious people who are kind, open-minded and who happen to reaffirm my faith in humanity. But, let's face it, when you get into the dogmatic, the literal, the fundamentalists of any religion, that's when my mind just goes numb.
But I don't think that's how religion is supposed to be, right? Isn't religion supposed to be about your relationship and experience with the Divine? Does praying five times a day or taking communion really save you from hell? And just whose God is the correct one?
I suppose the answers to those questions, and perhaps a thousand more, are what I'm after in this experiment. I'm not looking for an epiphany. I'm not looking to be saved. I've already been through the Jesus camps and the baptism and I long ago had my fill of Vacation Bible School.
No, what I really want to understand is just why religion is so intoxicating for so many people.Why do so many people need it? Just what is the draw?
In all actuality, do I think that I will have those answers at the end of all this? That might be too much to ask. But I do believe, wholeheartedly, that it's going to be one hell of a ride.
