My family is finally understanding my beliefs!

Not sexuality...no no...still not ready for that...but other beliefs! Like church.

I've been expressing to them for months that I don't like stuff we do in Sunday School. Now I never had a bad experience growing up in church. Mostly because I saw no reason to dislike organized religion. However, now that I'm older, I'm starting to realize my distaste. I wouldn't say I'm atheist...but I don't believe in everything organized religion says. I believe there is a higher power, or at least an afterlife where your soul goes to when you die. I don't believe the propoganda that the Bible should be taken word for word (which is clearly should not) or that it is God's every word. It was written by old men millenia ago, that's fact. That's what I believe, but if I were to say otherwise at church...shame on me. If I believe in evolution...shame on me. Many things...shame on me.

The most recent example is singing in Sunday School. I'm 17...we probably stopped around the time I was 12-13ish. Why? I was hitting puberty, my voice was cracking and I was, and still am, the only guy in the youth group...well no...correction...only guy who had hit puberty and has a low voice (there're two other 12 year olds who are never there). I felt uncomfortable and weird singing...so I wouldn't. Singing parts in plays were faded out for me, singing in sunday school as whole was faded out. Now here we are. My Sunday school teacher wants her granddaughter to learn the songs we'd sing. I conceded at first, they weren't horrid songs, and it would just be in Sunday School...I could suffer. Then it turned into singing in front of the whole congregation...then into new random songs played from CDs with little kids singing. I hate it. I've mad it clear that I'm not thrilled with it. I never even got a say in it. It was just, "You're doing this, because I want us to do this." I make every effort to get out of it.

Today being my sister's birthday I told my mom that we should say we're going for breakfast after church. I walked out with my Sunday school teacher saying that we were practicing and that she had her laptop (she also decided that she was going to reteach us things through this youth group DVD series she got). I told her we had breakfast plans and left. My sister later said that they knew I was lying. My one friend Abbey who was there texted me later saying that we were going bowling next Sunday and to be prepared...like could they try and guilt trip me more?? We're also apparently going to see Noah on Thursday...I'd rather see Divergent.

When we got home today, and more precisely after I got back from our school's musical, I ranted to my mom (and dad, who just happened to be in the room). To which she said that we'd get through this next week and after that maybe we should talk with my Sunday school teacher. She agreed that it is embarassing for me. So yay! My parents are finally seeing my way! Now if they could just agree with anything and everything I do or will do. (Random side note: my dad spent the past two days bashing the fact that our teachers are going on strike and saying they don't need a raise blah, blah, blah...both my sister and I want to be teachers...)

 

See, I know of Agnostic, but like I said, I'm not entirely certain I believe in a divine higher power, I do however believe in an afterlife.