So, I'm on this extended job hunt recently and through it all I've been conversing with my mother and using her sage advice and help to try and get it to go somewhere. Lo and Behold! It seems like having my master degree has made me even less employable than having a bachelor degree because I'm over qualified for some jobs now. I thought education was useful, but I'm feeling less and less sure about that as time is passing here. (Please don't judge my education level based on my typing here. I rarely go back and re-read my posts since I find that editing would involve me taking out most of the post.)
In one such discussion with my mom about job related things, I told her about a job I applied for and made it past the initial screening. Obviously a little excited that I wasn't immediately dismissed from consideration, I had to share that small success. My mother wished me luck and added a little statement to her well-wishing that caught me off guard -
"I know you don't believe, but I will pray for you."
Now, I find her statement off putting. I think saying that I don't believe doesn't really quite fit my stance on religion as a whole. I don't believe within the bounds of her understand, yes, but to say I don't believe as a whole isn't correct. Her words set me to thinking about religion in a very serious manner for some time.
Religion is a tricky area for me in that there is just too much - too much to understand, too much history, too much variation between different groups, too much human involvement in our interpretations. I have yet to find one distinct group that really fits my interpretation of religion.
I believe in...something. I'm hard put to define what I believe in and that separates me from most religious organizations out there. I think claiming to understand something that is beyond me is wrong, so I refuse to try to define it. I think there are things in this world that can't come to pass without something having a guiding hand in the matter, but I believe there is too much bad in the world to believe in an all powerful being.
I believe whatever higher power is there doesn't care for our petty grievances, but is compassionate none-the-less. I believe there is too much similar between the many religious groups to consider one group the RIGHT one. I believe in something and know nothing and know that all I can do is strive to be good.
It struck a chord with me to be called a non believer - not that I think there is anything wrong with not believing. I think the most important quality in a person is their actions regardless of what they believe. I've met religious leaders who have sowed ill deeds and non believers who raised up the good in people. I don't know why the statement mattered, but it did.
No comments:
Post a Comment