Other Faiths & Damnation

I'm taking a religion class this semester. It is nothing like I expected it to be. I guess I never took into account how atheism is a "religion" and how it would be discussed. Today was strictly the attacks on religion and how many people see it as a relic of humanity's infancy rather than it's maturity. The teacher passed around some Dawkins, Jung, & Freudian books and just reading the synopsis and reviews on the covers made me cringe. The atheist message is just as urgent as that of the Christian's. We want to save souls while atheists want to "wake up" the religious of the world before we destroy each other over it.

I was really angry at first and questioned why I took this class, but I want to learn this material. I love religions *and I thought I would be studying Christianity, but he left it out of the curriculum* and I want to stretch my comfort zone and learn to be accepting of others. I noticed how judgmental I was last semester and this time around I want to be as inviting and loving as I can be. I read a Catholic article the other day about how we don't need to be spreading our faith like many Protestant's do...by force...but we are responsible for explaining the faith when ASKED.

On the flip side of this "lessened" duty, I was thinking about firm believers of other faiths and how they do reach out to others. How people change religions every day in every country...how many faiths there are and how many subdivisions stem from each body. There are thousands of belief systems on this one planet. If there is one faith and one faith only, where does that leave 90% us? When we look at Christianity alone there are thousands of denominations and if narrow is the path to heaven, are the majority of sects just as unacceptable to God as Hinduism is? I don't understand the purpose of satan and the creation of false faiths. That is, in my opinion, the greatest burden we face as Christians. Finding the right way to God. We all disagree on countless details...is there even a way to determine what is truth and what is not? Why would God leave us here to find Him ourselves with so many options and our eternal existence on the line?

Being religious is comforting and easy when you live it out, but when you really think about God and His purpose for us, His plans in general, things become chaotic. Why does punishment for being wrong have to be eternal? One of my teachers this semester is openly gay and today in class a student blurted out "This class is so not for me! I cannot be here!" and he left. The teacher was so obviously hurt by this behavior and while I do not condone homosexuality, I thought this student's display was disgusting. No matter what his sins are, this man is very genuine and caring...but according to doctrine, he probably won't be saved. He is not repentant for his lifestyle. How can a person, who is so right in so many ways, be eternally tortured for the sins he committed in his short existence on earth?

I am in no way questioning my faith, because it is just apart of me now and I 100% agree with it, but I am just so frustrated with not understanding God and His purpose with creating us. How does He expect us to KNOW Him when we're so imperfect? It's like a scientist giving the cure for cancer to cavemen. We cannot minutely understand Him or His creation...so what's the purpose?

College...too much learning & thought!