Religion, In Laura's Eyes

My beautiful friend Laura, who lives in Kosovo, posted this on her blog today and I just loved it. It's quite a brilliant way to think about religion, really, and I think everyone could benefit from taking a minute to read this and then taking a minute to think about it afterward.


I am really opinionated! :)
I personaly am Baha'i (If you want to know about that: http://www.bahai.org/ ).
I go to any type of worship to pray, whether it is Hindu, Christian, pagan, Muslim, etc.
I am currently going to Liberty University in Virginia, which is probably the most Christian College in the US.

I personaly do not care one way or the other what people want to do for Winter Solstice. I don't believe in Christmas, but I also don't think that preventing anyone from praying, celebrating, or worshiping, in any way that doesn't hurt others, is wrong.

I like Christmas. I like Christmas trees, and the lights on the houses. I like Nativity story scenes, and watching a Charlie Brown Christmas with my Dad. I like Christmas Stockings and Santa Claus. I like gathering with my atheist relatives to have a family gathering. I like Egg nog and I like Cranberry sauce. I like Christmas Carols and Christmas Presents. I like tradition and I like Jesus. I like Angels, and I like Mary. Just because I don't believe the same as someone else, does not make them any less mine.

I also like Hannakuh and I like Yule. Names and traditions are created by people not by Gods. I sometimes notice that a lot of people who are not Christian seem to be very nervous about anything that is, and I say screw that! Just because they claim it does not give them ownership, and does not mean that I can't have it too. I was getting Christmas cards worked on today, and found myself wondering if I shouldn't have said happy Yule instead of Merry Christmas on a pagan friends card, or whether I should say God Bless in a Christian friends card, and I decided that if anyone does not like their card they can throw it in the trash!!!! :)

I don't care if they put the ten commandments on the wall of the court building, and I don't care if people pray in schools. I don't care if it says "In God we Trust" on our money, or that it says "One Nation under God" in the pledge of alegiance.
If something is said that I don't believe in then how does it affect me? If they want me to swear on a Bible and think that is going to keep me honest, that is their problem. I don't mind saying or hearing "God" in any situation. God is not a name, and it is not owned by the Christian Faith. I also don't care if other people don't believe or what they believe. If I believe and you don't, how does your lack of faith affect mine? My faith would have to be pretty weak for you to be able to harm it, or alter it with your own.

Equality means an equal right to having freedoms, it does not mean that we are or should try to be the same. Equality: The equal treatment of people irrespective of social or cultural differences.

I think it is really sad that people are stealing signs and throwing acid on stuff, just because it is not something they believe. It is also really too bad that these people have apparently not read the Bible, since they sin by their own belief constantly. How hard it must be for them to pray to God with so much shame...

I am sad that people think that Muslim's are bad now, becasue Iraq is a Muslim nation. Kosovo is too, and I've never had any problem involving religion here! Maybe Christians should just ban free speech in the US, and then all of my friends can pack up their families and we'll all move to Canada...LOL!
I hope that wasn't over doing, but I was really thinking!