Religion

For years I thought something mysterious be wrong with me. As a college student, I explored different churches and Christian denominations. Nothing. I could not rationalize what I saw as an unquestioning belief in something that was essentially manmade. It was men who wrote the ancient religious texts, claiming divine inspiration. It was men looking for ways to organize—and yes control—people in eras of little education and much poverty and violence as a way of life for many people.

Years ago, I gave up any belief in organized religion or in any specific doctrine—Christian, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc. Rather, I realized that what I have (partly thanks to my parents who did believe in religion) is what I see as a moral framework for my life. That framework is pretty simple, and I believe that morality without religion is entirely possible.

Be honest.
Treat all people decently.
Do not reject or hate people based on nationality, skin color, or sexual orientation and do not accept that it’s ok for people to do so.
Be considerate of both friends and strangers.
Seek to help others in need when I can.

I can’t say that I’ve always lived up to this framework, but it’s a goal.