Some Religion Talk...I Guess

Disclaimer: I may offend some people with this post. I'm just expressing my opinion about everything and I'm sorry ahead of time. I do NOT want to offend anyone or make anyone upset. Just a little rant and rave I have to get off my chest.


Me, Uncle Andrew, Aunt Hanan, and my sister Jessica on their wedding day

 So I just was watching All American Muslim on TLC. And this episode was about an Irish Catholic man marrying a Muslim woman. I felt a deep connection to this episode because a few years ago my uncle  Andrew married the love of his life, Hanan, a Muslim. The wedding on television was very much like my aunt and uncle's wedding with the belly dancing, etc. (It should be noted that my family is Irish Protestant, not Catholic and there are many differences between the two...however, there are, of course, similarities.)

Anyway, the man in this episode decided to convert to Islam in order to get married. This was funny to me. My uncle never converted. In fact, my aunt and my uncle are not very religious. Both extended families aren't very religious either (Hanan's sister is a model for goodness sake). There were of course, members of Hanan's family that were offended by their marriage but had made their peace with it. They didn't get married in a church for either religion, but a hotel.

As I watched the episode the parents were having fits about the conversion. The woman's family were obsessed with the idea that he HAD to convert to marry their daughter and the man's family was very depressed that he had chose to convert.

The sister of the bride asked the mother "What would you say if I told you I wanted to be a nun?" The mother answered, "I would be very depressed if you chose to convert."

Now someone please explain this to me.

I don't have children, but I know all parents want their children to live a certain way. They have expectations and dreams for their child. But isn't their happiness the most important? The mother of the groom said she wanted her son to be happy but was crying over him converting and she chose not to be there when he converted.

Like I said, my family isn't very religious. I was baptized as a baby, but other than that it wasn't expected for us to attend church or take Sunday School or anything like that. My parents also made it absolutely clear that whatever we believed in was our choice to make.

Who you pray to should be your choice.

So, why all the hub-ba-lub over your child converting? I can't imagine someone changing what he believes over night, that's kinda funny to me. But shouldn't you respect your child's beliefs? Shouldn't you respect the fact that your child is making a lifestyle choice for themselves and, in theory, no one else. I mean, after all, don't we all raise our children to be independent and to make their own choices?

If I had grown up in a religious household, I probably would have given up on my faith a long time ago. I have some cobwebs in my hypothetical closet that everyday made me question if there really was "a higher being". Bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people. To be honest, that is not at all what GOD should be about. I would think if there was a "God" he would have some control over the fact that his priests molest children everyday. I mean they do it IN churches. Wouldn't God be like, "Ohh hell to the no!" and flick their awful little heads off?




Monty Python... God's hand: FLICK!

I don't know. I don't understand faith either. I don't know how people explain these awful things that happen to innocent people and still love their god unconditionally. It's a complete fascination of mine.

Do not get me wrong. I will be the most understanding of anyone and what they believe. That was just my opinion. I will never judge anyone for being Jewish, Catholic, or Muslim. (I don't judge anyone period, I mean, my boyfriend is African-American and I wouldn't love him any more if he was white.) I respect everyone and their beliefs and what makes them happy. Which is why I find it so hard for a parent to not do so with their own child.

I just hope that one day people would be much more understanding of each other. I hope that one day, war won't break out over religion. I hope that one day the world will just be a better place to live in period.

That's my religion, I guess. Hoping for a better world and doing my part in making it so.