If there's two subjects you shouldn't talk about, it's religion and politics.
Religion tends be the more personal of the two and subjected to insults.
Since I was very young, I always believed in a higher power that was bigger then everyone and everything else. I learned that that higher was known as God with a capital G. I wasn't raised in any religious tradition, but my mother would take us to a church in Santa Ana. She never was a religious woman as far as I could remember. I think she only attended to be polite because our immigration to America was somehow connected or supported by that church.
Eventually we stopped attending when I was about 5 or 6.
Maybe because I grew up a severely lonely and undersocialized kid, I had a yearning to return to church. I wanted to belong to a community.
Most of the Vietnamese kids I grew up were Catholic. I had no clue what Catholicism was until my mom sent me to a Catholic school. Eventually I converted to the faith in my early 20's because I was still yearning for that sense of belonging. For most of my life, I had little to no guidance nor emotional support. The Catholic Church was the closest thing.
I became a devout member and attended mass weekly and sometimes every other day. I taught catechism to young children. Even on my travels, I made it a priority to go to mass every week. But the more I traveled, the more my attitude shifted towards organized religion.
When I traveled I felt liberated to be me. But when I was in church I had to put on a facade. The most uncomfortable feeling is not being able to be who I am. I realized that to be devout to a set of religious beliefs, one must allow themselves to be dictated by another authority. I couldn't do that. There are more reasons why I stopped going to church, but I will save the details for future writings.
Slowly I drifted away from my beloved church. As a result I got to know myself a lot better. I began to explore Eastern philosophy more intensely and become hooked on the concept of non-attachment. I realized that it was attachment that fed my anxiety and misery. I realized that most people wake up only to live their lives asleep.
Since then I've been practicing non-attachment through affirmations, yoga, and occasionally meditation. It's been an inconsistent road, yet enriching.
Recently I've been going to group meditations. As a good Catholic I have to confess that I was compelled to go because of a quick depressive episode triggered by recent events. Miraculously the mediation sessions turned my perspective around and I'm feeling 200% better.
Besides providing religious guidance, churches provide human services to those in need. Now that is practice that I whole-heartedly support regards of any religious affiliation.
Last night I assisted a nutrition education class in a small Baptist church in the city of Rubidoux. Out of respect I bowed my head down and join hands during closing prayer. Despite my disdain for organized religion, I did feel a sense of spiritual fulfillment at the place. It was at this church where I felt a sense of belonging, knowing that my purpose in life is to serve others; not with my spiritual beliefs, but with my nutrition knowledge.
During one of my low points in life (and there have been many), I asked a friend what he thought the purpose of life was. His response was "to serve and help others." To this day I couldn't agree any more.
Since I was little, I have always been fascinated with rituals. Maybe that's why I was more drawn to Catholicism than any other Christian denomination. I have respect for all faiths and the people who do good with it.
Religion is not bad. It's what people do with it that makes it bad.
Even though I no longer attend mass, and most likely never will, I have a lot to be thankful for during my Catholic days. Subsequently my spiritual devotion has traveled eastward. And as they travel east, I will be traveling around Southern California to attend different spiritual centers and write about them in my blog. Hence the theme of my summer is "The Summer of the Occult."
Stay tuned!
Religion tends be the more personal of the two and subjected to insults.
Since I was very young, I always believed in a higher power that was bigger then everyone and everything else. I learned that that higher was known as God with a capital G. I wasn't raised in any religious tradition, but my mother would take us to a church in Santa Ana. She never was a religious woman as far as I could remember. I think she only attended to be polite because our immigration to America was somehow connected or supported by that church.
Eventually we stopped attending when I was about 5 or 6.
Maybe because I grew up a severely lonely and undersocialized kid, I had a yearning to return to church. I wanted to belong to a community.
Most of the Vietnamese kids I grew up were Catholic. I had no clue what Catholicism was until my mom sent me to a Catholic school. Eventually I converted to the faith in my early 20's because I was still yearning for that sense of belonging. For most of my life, I had little to no guidance nor emotional support. The Catholic Church was the closest thing.
I became a devout member and attended mass weekly and sometimes every other day. I taught catechism to young children. Even on my travels, I made it a priority to go to mass every week. But the more I traveled, the more my attitude shifted towards organized religion.
When I traveled I felt liberated to be me. But when I was in church I had to put on a facade. The most uncomfortable feeling is not being able to be who I am. I realized that to be devout to a set of religious beliefs, one must allow themselves to be dictated by another authority. I couldn't do that. There are more reasons why I stopped going to church, but I will save the details for future writings.
Slowly I drifted away from my beloved church. As a result I got to know myself a lot better. I began to explore Eastern philosophy more intensely and become hooked on the concept of non-attachment. I realized that it was attachment that fed my anxiety and misery. I realized that most people wake up only to live their lives asleep.
Since then I've been practicing non-attachment through affirmations, yoga, and occasionally meditation. It's been an inconsistent road, yet enriching.
Recently I've been going to group meditations. As a good Catholic I have to confess that I was compelled to go because of a quick depressive episode triggered by recent events. Miraculously the mediation sessions turned my perspective around and I'm feeling 200% better.
Besides providing religious guidance, churches provide human services to those in need. Now that is practice that I whole-heartedly support regards of any religious affiliation.
Last night I assisted a nutrition education class in a small Baptist church in the city of Rubidoux. Out of respect I bowed my head down and join hands during closing prayer. Despite my disdain for organized religion, I did feel a sense of spiritual fulfillment at the place. It was at this church where I felt a sense of belonging, knowing that my purpose in life is to serve others; not with my spiritual beliefs, but with my nutrition knowledge.
During one of my low points in life (and there have been many), I asked a friend what he thought the purpose of life was. His response was "to serve and help others." To this day I couldn't agree any more.
Since I was little, I have always been fascinated with rituals. Maybe that's why I was more drawn to Catholicism than any other Christian denomination. I have respect for all faiths and the people who do good with it.
Religion is not bad. It's what people do with it that makes it bad.
Even though I no longer attend mass, and most likely never will, I have a lot to be thankful for during my Catholic days. Subsequently my spiritual devotion has traveled eastward. And as they travel east, I will be traveling around Southern California to attend different spiritual centers and write about them in my blog. Hence the theme of my summer is "The Summer of the Occult."
Stay tuned!
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