Religion
Religion has not been a huge part of my life. Growing up I would attend Sunday school with my sisters and a few friends from my neighborhood. I went through the baptismal, communion and confirmation process with having little knowledge of the importance or definition of these major events. I never asked my parents why they sent us to Sunday school, as religion was never strongly emphasized in my house. We are what I would consider as “ChrEasters”, meaning we go to church on Christmas and Easter, but rarely will you find me in a pew on a standard Sunday.
There is an interesting connection between sports and religion. We often see players thank God after a game and we have all witnessed the incredible phenomenon of Tim Tebow. Prior to every game we were given the option to attend an abbreviated version of mass, likewise we would get together as a team and say the “Our Father” before and after every game. The message of these prayers and ceremonies was simple. We would ask and thank God for giving us an opportunity to play a game that we all loved, and for us to remain healthy throughout. As a freshman that was just following the pack, I chose to attend the mass with a few of my teammates. Perhaps it was the fact that we won our first game in a miraculous fashion, or a bit of superstition, but I attended the masses every Saturday before games. Was this a new awakening that I was having towards religion? While I certainly enjoyed going to the masses, in retrospect it was just part of my game day routine as the only other time I attended mass during my 4 years away was with a girl that I was interested in a relationship with.
While I may not be outward and devout with my religion, I certainly feel that I do have faith. I have long forgotten much of what I have learned in Sunday school, I find myself today more curious about religion than ever. While I agree with a number of things that come from the Church, there are also a number of things that I disagree with. This has led me torn in my religious beliefs and still searching for answers, but perhaps this is what religion is intended for to begin with.