Because I’m not a Catholic

Have you ever been in a situation where you were surrounded by people of different religions? And what if you were all living in one roof? Well, that makes two of us! 😀 It could really get a little crazy sometimes. Let me share my experience.

“I don’t drink alcohol, I don’t wander around anywhere and come home late. I am also closer to God like never before — I had
never ever experienced these when I was a Catholic. My current religion has changed me to a better person” says one of my housemates.

What could you possibly think of the above statement? You might say, “Well, it’s good to know that he has come to his
senses.” True. But I would want to ask, “Why?”. Why was he not able to be all those things when he was still a Catholic? Is there something wrong with the Catholics?

Being born a Catholic myself, there are realities in the religion in which I am not proud of. Idolatry – total misconception on worshiping images and Saints, lack of emphasis on the importance of reading the Bible, and I also find it disturbing that during mass, the ceremony eats more time than the actual sharing of the word of God.

I came to a point of major realization where it lead me to decide to leave my religion and transfer to another. While I am still waiting for the right moment to be “officially” transferred — long story 😀 — I had been hearing comments about the Catholics — just like the statement above — which I find quite disturbing.

“I really like that girl because she is prim and proper”.
“Aah, that’s because she’s not Catholic.”

Later did I realize — after talking to a non-Catholic friend — that there really have been, err let’s just call it “religion discrimination” towards the Catholics. Some non-Catholics think that they are “uneducated” of the teachings of the Lord and some think that they are people with “not-so-refined” behavior.

I am a person who doesn’t believe that religion is with high importance. But hearing those statements really broke my heart. As if it makes me want to go back and proudly proclaim that I am a Catholic and I can live in God’s ways. Based on my observation, most people you see in disco bars, in the mall during Sundays instead of the church, and if asked to recite a particular verse in the Bible and can’t do it, are Catholics. But it doesn’t make them less of a child of God. And there’s no way, that a child of God, should be discriminated.

To end this story, the people of different religions — us — remained living under one roof. Despite the differences, we learned to respect each other’s religious cultures and the once-in-while sharing of ideas has widened our horizons and increased our knowledge. We all do have only one God, and that God surely loves us all.

This is Lady Franchesca again…. signing off. 😉