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Chuck Spinella

My Religious Journey

My father, who has since passed, was born into a very Italian and Roman
Catholic Family; my mother on the other hand, considers herself agnostic being that
her father is Irish, English and devoutly Catholic. Her mother however, was a mix of
German and Italian and considered herself an Atheist. My mother has gotten
remarried to another Italian-American man who also comes from a very Catholic
family. He, however, although admittedly a believer, does not practice his religion
very often. This dynamic had given me ample opportunity to decide for myself what
I truly believed.
From pre-school until sixth grade I was enrolled in St. Michaels Catholic
school. This was my mothers decision; she had thought that as a child, it was good
to have installed the values that go along with the Catholic Church. At St. Michaels
each grade must go church one a week during class time as well as have lessons on
the Bible. This is where I truly started to decide what I wanted to believe. Being a
logical individual, I simply could not come to the realization that a deity has
complete power over our lives. When asked to talk to the Catholic deity in the form
of prayer I could not fathom why or how I could talk to an inanimate object. In sixth
grade, I had grown tired and bored of the phenomenon and asked to transfer to
Stanhope Public School.
From grammar school until high-school Religion was not involved in my life
at all. I saw prayer and faith as an illogical method of coping with the dangers of
reality. If I had been diagnosed with a deadly disease, the last thing I would want to
hear from someone is, I will keep you in my prayers. This does nothing; there is no
statistical evidence that suggests prayer brings results of any type. For the record, if
I am every on my death bed and you feel sorry for me, bring me a Big Mac. These
were my thoughts before I had even gotten to college and was still fairly ignorant on
the topic of Religion.
Lebanon Valley College, admittedly a very liberal institute, has only
reaffirmed my feelings for Religion through a deeper understanding. For example, I
learned that Christianity was composed as a hybrid of many other ancient Religions
by the Roman leader Constantine. Jesus, whose birthday is never mentioned in the
Bible, yet it is known to be December 25
th
. This also happens to be the birthday of
the sun god in every ancient Religion. Maybe the halo often depicted on his head will
provide better clarity. Also, December 25
th
was an ancient holiday that celebrated
the beginning of a march toward summer The Sun God? Furthermore, I learned of
the many horrors that Religion had played a major role in. Examples include,
general societal control, the 9-11 attacks, the Holocaust, the Salem Witch Trials, The
Crusades, Oppression of Women and Homosexuals, Molestation of Children, and
societal sexual repression.
Although I am an atheist, I do not consider Religion to be an object of terror,
although many on Fox News would disagree when talking about the common
Muslim. Religion, for the most part, helps people deal with the hardships that life
presents and gives their life a meaning. It is when groups such as the Christian Klu
Klux Klan or people like Osama Bin-Laden use it as justification for terrible deeds.
This does not mean that Atheists are perfect, however, Adolf Hitler was an atheist,
but there is a clear line that distinguishes right and wrong, regardless of what your
Religious affiliation is. This affinity does not determine the type of person you are
but simply the outlook and meaning you have on life.

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