Choose Your Own Religion

Choose Your Own Religion (But Not That One)

Freedom of religion has been a principle in the United States since it became a country. However, just because it is written in the United States Constitution does not mean everyone will follow it. Too many times have people in America been shunned for their personal beliefs. Freedom of religion includes the freedom to worship any god, freedom to not following any religion, and the freedom to not believe in any god at all. In today's society there is hardly any freedom. There are always worshippers of faith going about trying to convert others to their religion. The zealous religious followers have good intentions, but they are being rude, disrespectful of others, and can make someone feel as if they are a misfit in society.

Religion plays a major role in what makes America a unique place to live. Yet there are always followers of different religions trying to convert others, in America it seems to be Christian followers that cause the problem. The World Factbook produced by the United States' CIA shows the majority of America to be of Christian faith, "Protestant 52%, Roman Catholic 24%, Mormon 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 1%, other 10%, none 10%" (World Factbook). Why do they want to make our country such a uniform place to live? Sometimes this practice of trying to convert others goes over the line. Going door to door and talking to complete strangers about why they should go to their church is too far. They step on to our personal property just to talk to use about why we should change faith. This is rude and shouldn't be tolerated. Sometimes these worshippers of faith will even go to social gatherings, such as the county fair, to try to gather more people to their place of worship. I experienced this just a few months ago. A woman from the Church of Christ came out of no where and approached me and the group I was with and insisted that we prayed with her after she preached to us. I didn't particularly want to, but I was not going to be rude and offend her even though she was being rude. It seems her personal mission is to make our country a uniform place to live. America is a melting pot; there are different races, groups, and religions. It is what makes us unique.

What is religious belief? The United Nation describes it as, "theistic, non-theistic and atheistic beliefs, as well as the right not to profess any religion or belief" (Roan par. 1). To restate their idea, freedom of religion includes the freedom to worship any god, freedom not to follow any religion, and the freedom to not believe in any god at all. Many religious zealots are disrespectful and ignore this principle. They will even try to convert others in our country. It is even more unbelievable that they travel far away to other countries and try to convert others to change their way of thinking. Why is it so hard for these Christian followers to respect the beliefs of Hinduism, Islam, or Buddhism? If a person is content with their beliefs, there should be no reason to bring them over to a different religion. There are also instances when the religious followers become rabid when they find a person who just says they don't believe in any god. They are relentless with their constant preaching. Will a person that is respectful of others, charitable, hard working, and believes there is no God really burn in Hell? No one knows. If a person is happy with their personal beliefs, then let them be. There is no harm done. No matter what religion, there is a principle of being respectful towards others; maybe the followers should take notice of that.

Another side effect of others ignoring the principles of religious freedom is when others shun a person for their personal beliefs. Many times a person's personal view of others can change instantly once they discover their true religious beliefs. Because of their choice of religion, or of no religion, a person is placed at a lower position in the social ladder. It's sad to see that these strong believers in faith cannot just accept another person's right to have differing beliefs sometimes. They will either constantly banter about why they should believe in the Father and the Holy Ghost or just completely think of them as a different person and sever any connection with them. One example of severing connections would be our former president George H.W. Bush. He stated, "No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots" (qtd. Weitzel par. 1). He is basically not acknowledging certain Americans, even is they are dying for their country. If a person of little or no faith is a kind, loving, charitable, person and are content with everything in their life, why should they try to change an aspect of their life when everything has been going fine? If life is good and you are a strong religious follower, then let it be.

Freedom of religion is a delicate subject. It can either cause war or it can cause peace. If it could be handled properly it should always be peaceful. So many people in the world are closed minded and cannot possibly see others religion or beliefs as being correct. These religious followers try pushing their own beliefs on others and are rude, disrespectful, and can make others feel like outcasts. They never stop and ask if the person is happy with their beliefs, they just assume that if they don't have faith that their life is miserable. The only way to solve this problem is if, somehow, everyone could open their minds and accept other's beliefs and practices. What if this could happen? Would there be war and violence? We are the future and we make the choices.

We all feel the pressure of religion sometimes. Sometimes a hardcore Christian may ask them self, what would Jesus do? Or sometimes we feel the pressure from religion because we just don't hold the same beliefs as someone else and we are bombarded with their preaching and pressure to follow them. Is this the world we want to live in? Is this the world we want our children to live in? In our country, the majority of the population is Christian. Each group -- Baptist, Methodist, Church of Christ, Church of God -- tries to pressure others into believing their way of worshipping is the only way to worship. There are ways to solve the problem, it is not impossible. Religions - not one religion -- should be taught in school. We should teach children about all of the various religions in the world so the future will have a tolerance for different religions.

There are no problems with religion; it is how it is used against someone. Every day in America a person will be judged based on his or her beliefs. Why is it that there can be such hatred toward another person just because they want to form their own opinion? The Christians in the