Personal Narrative: Organized Religion

I was brought up in a Baptist household. My mother was a single parent and it was important for her to raise my two younger sisters and me to believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior and the Holy Bible is the inspired word of God. The Holy Bible, as I was taught, served as the final written authority for maximizing your utility in life and living up to the Christian faith. The Bible also served as a guide for knowing and serving God who is the Creator, Savior and an Advocate. I was also taught that Baptists are to celebrate the fact that a belief in Jesus Christ promises your salvation and everlasting fellowship with a loving God.
From grade school up to my freshman year in high school, I faithfully attended church services every Sunday and Wednesday night bible study with
People’s gods and their beliefs control what others see or should see, say or should say, and tell people how they should conduct themselves. I feel allergic to the institution of organized religion. I feel that religion discourages your personal desires by asking followers to submit to the will of God. Religion should not feel like an obligation, but more of a spirituality; a feeling like an emotion where it soothes and comforts you versus a feeling of mobilization and rallying. I acknowledge that religion played an influential role in shaping America and helped humanity. I cannot deny some of the admirable things of religion such as helping some to cope with difficult situations, inspiring people to develop a good moral code, and providing something positive for a person to look forward to. Religion is also important to many social movements because of its role in shaping a person’s identity and can be used as a powerful source of collective identity and unity. There are definitely some good outcomes from organized religion, but religion has also been used as a vehicle for discrimination, persecution, and even