R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Having spent 30 years of my life as a raving atheist, and having been raised by one, I developed an amazing skill at religious debate along with an ability to deal with strangers who thought they knew what was best for me. Years of being preached at and informed of the error of my ways opened my eyes to the general intolerance of people, and I was not impressed.

Thirteen years ago when I started my current journey of faith it was a personal journey and one which concerned no one else. I do not live my life according to the whims of others, and I certainly did not need the approval of anyone before I altered my philosophical leanings.

I now refuse to debate because I just don’t care what you believe. Seriously, it’s your life and you need to figure it out on your own. Me trying to convince you isn’t going to help you out...and it’s a huge time-drain on my already packed schedule. If you have questions about my faith as a Christian Quaker as part of a respectable adult conversation, ask away. If you want to tell me I’m wrong, don’t waste your breath.

Voltaire said, “Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too.” Sounds like a plan to me.

That said, through the years I’ve noticed that more and more people have become obsessed with trying to get others to think as they do. How did forcing your ideas on another person become cool? Honestly, there is this wonderful thing called free will and I expect that all of us would like to use it as we see fit. You’re really cute with your opinions and all, but save it. I recall something about freedom of expression, including religious expression, being one of the founding ideas of our country. Did someone change that when I wasn’t looking?

With the 10th anniversary of the attacks of 9/11 just around the corner, it’s difficult to not recall the treatment of Muslims following those devastating events. The paranoia and hatred that took hold was embarrassing and cruel. As I mourned with my beloved nation, I also wept for the injustice that took hold of her heart.

The heroism demonstrated that fateful day by the first responders is a shining example of how we all should treat our fellow humans. These amazing men and women didn’t stop and ask what a person believed before they pulled them from the burning rubble, nor did they care what philosophy a dying person adhered to before they comforted them in their last moments. There were no lines drawn between people, only an understanding that someone was in pain and needed help. And help these heroes did. This is how we should all act in our everyday lives.

Today, there remains a fear of those who are not white and middle class...those who think differently and believe things that we don’t agree with. That’s a burden we all carry and need to work to change it. In a world that needs healing, there is no place for this.

What we need is a huge dose of respect for all people and an understanding that a person has the right to believe what they want. As groups of so-called Christians rule mainstream religion and force their way into politics, as many atheists try to sterilize society against anything they disagree with...it’s difficult to believe we will ever get to a place where people willingly respect one another.

My closest circle of friends, those I rely on and truly trust come from a wide-range of religions including Sikh, Muslim, Judaism, Christian fundamentalist, Buddhist, and humanistic Atheist. I love them equally and admire who they are as people. They enrich my life in a multitude of ways and I would feel a great loss were they not here. As with any good relationship we rely on mutual respect and admiration, accepting our differences and learning from our unique world-views.

Yes, my faith means a lot to me and I am comfortable with who I am. I don’t use it to be morally righteous...I do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do. I don’t use it as an excuse to belittle others, because that would be childish. My faith works for me...I hope your faith, or un-faith as the case my be, works for you. I truly hope that you find what you need.

When a person demeans another because he or she doesn’t think as they do, they show themselves to be close-minded and weak. When they disrespect the beliefs of another person, they disrespect all of us, and that’s not cool on any level.

We live in a world where humanity is drowning in a sea of hate and intolerance. Our societies are crumbling around us, greed rules the heart and devours the integrity of our leaders . If we can’t learn to accept our differences and respect each other, then we really need to grow-up and start acting like adults.