#0078 | labels just divide

Submitted by Cecilia from the beach.

Here’s Cecilia’s story:

“I was born and raised Catholic. Therefore, I consider myself a Catholic by tradition and culture despite the fact that I don’t believe in the Church.
I realized that I shouldn’t have to define who or what I believe in because that is the biggest contradiction in most faiths. Catholics pride themselves on being accepting to anyone, so why do I then have to classify myself? That only encourages separation, which in turn leads to hate.

I prefer to believe that as long as I am a good person who loves and accept everyone, who help others in need and maintains my self respect, then I shouldn’t have to label myself. I do believe in God because I believe there is a higher power and that there is such a thing as destiny. However, I also believe in, but do not worship, the other gods of different religions. There are a lot of religions and I don’t believe that all religions but one can be wrong about their god(s). After all, many religions refer to the same people, some just hold certain people in higher regard than others. We should let people believe what they want without judgement.

I am a Catholic for my family, but I am a good person for myself.”