Faith

                Faith is something that has always been present in my life as I was being brought up by my parent’s and family.  Whether it is faith in God, or faith in something that you believe in, they always encouraged that feeling.  I was taken to church every Sunday when I was younger with my mother.  My father believes in God, but he did not always go to church.  If he did, he would go to a different church that works best for him.  As I got older, I started to protest the idea of going to church with my mom because she would always want to go early, and I wanted to stay in bed.  She eventually gave up and did not force me to get up and go to church with her.  I still have not gone back to church, but that does not make me a nonbeliever.  Just because I do not attend church every Sunday to hear the written word, that does not make me a bad person or someone who does not believe.

                I do believe, just like Paine, that there is only one God and that we will have happiness beyond this life.  I do not look down on others who have different beliefs or no beliefs at all.  I am living the life that God would be happy with, and that is a life free of judgment based on other people’s religious beliefs.  I do not think that you have to have this faith in order to sustain from this type of judgment.  Whether you believe in God or not, someone else’s belief has nothing to do with your own, so therefore they should not be judged. 

                For example, I have to observe a class at an elementary school for one of my classes that I am taking at J. Sargeant Reynolds.  In that classroom, there is a child who is a Jehovah’s Witness.  This child looks just like any other child, he just does not have the same beliefs as the other children do based on the way that he was raised.  The other student’s in the classroom do not judge him or exclude him; they treat him like they would any other student in the class.  This is an example that everyone should follow.  If fifth graders can be this mature about accepting another student without making fun of him, then we as adults should do the same.

                It is said that a person should be baptized in order to have an eternal life in Heaven.  I, however, have not been baptized.  Even when I was attending church, my mom did not feel that I was ready to commit my life to Christ.  One day in my future when I do attend church on a regular basis, which I will, I will get baptized.  I do not think that baptism should define your belief in God or whether you go to Heaven.  I know that I am a believer and God knows that I am a believer, so that is all that matters to me.  Everyone sins no matter how strong your faith is in God.  The only thing that is expected of us as believers is to try to do the right thing and live by his word.  This is my profession of belief.