26. Your religious beliefs
I am staunchly Catholic. I've always been Catholic, though the "staunchly" part is more recent. I'm not a radical, but I like to follow the "rules" that the Church gives us in the Catechism as well as those in the Bible (specifically those given by Jesus in the New Testament). Having a personal relationship with Christ is also very important to me; prayer shouldn't always just be rosaries and Our Fathers and things pre-written by somebody else - I want Jesus to hear how I feel, what I think, in my own words. Also, I don't shove my faith down anyone's throat because I think that's the best way to turn someone away, not draw them in. I'm never going to tell a gay person that he/she is going straight to hell (because it's not necessarily true, and just because someone's straight doesn't mean that they automatically have a morally praiseworthy sexual lifestyle), never going to say that only Christians can get into heaven and everyone else goes straight to hell...things are so much more complicated. GOD is so much more complex than that. He is the only real judge, because only He knows what's truly in someone's heart.
That said, I am pro-life, anti-death penalty, anti-war, and pro-gay marriage (because two consenting adults should be free to make their own choices...even if I personally believe it's the wrong choice). I plan to remain a virgin until I'm married, and after that I do not want to use birth control or condoms or other unnatural contraception - I will instead use Natural Family Planning, which is NOT the rhythm method, thank you very much, and when done correctly, it has above a 99% effectiveness rate against unplanned pregnancy. And there's no surgeries or pumping myself with strange hormones or chemicals, so that's a plus.
I think the Catholic Church is grossly misunderstood by a lot of people. Of course there are bad eggs every once in a while...what religion doesn't have radicals or liars or perverts or other assorted crazies? I'm not saying it's okay. What I am saying is that the actions of a few immoral, unjust, and just-plain-bad people shouldn't tarnish the beauty of what the Church is. There are two thousand years of wisdom behind the Catechism. The Catholic Liturgy is full of scripture and prayer. And of course, the Eucharist.
That said, I am pro-life, anti-death penalty, anti-war, and pro-gay marriage (because two consenting adults should be free to make their own choices...even if I personally believe it's the wrong choice). I plan to remain a virgin until I'm married, and after that I do not want to use birth control or condoms or other unnatural contraception - I will instead use Natural Family Planning, which is NOT the rhythm method, thank you very much, and when done correctly, it has above a 99% effectiveness rate against unplanned pregnancy. And there's no surgeries or pumping myself with strange hormones or chemicals, so that's a plus.
I think the Catholic Church is grossly misunderstood by a lot of people. Of course there are bad eggs every once in a while...what religion doesn't have radicals or liars or perverts or other assorted crazies? I'm not saying it's okay. What I am saying is that the actions of a few immoral, unjust, and just-plain-bad people shouldn't tarnish the beauty of what the Church is. There are two thousand years of wisdom behind the Catechism. The Catholic Liturgy is full of scripture and prayer. And of course, the Eucharist.