Article written by me for The Examiner
At any given time on a
Sunday, you can find me in my bedroom filling out a journal that I’ve been
keeping for years. Nestled within the
pages of the journal are details of my struggles, notes of gratitude, people
that I pray for and questions that I present to the almighty. I got the idea
from the character of Celie in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, a novel that I
read and enjoyed immensely years ago. I
do this in addition to the quiet moments that I share with God in prayer,
whether it is on my knees beside the bed, in my car on my way to work or bowing
my head before whatever meal I’m getting ready to consume.
There was a time when I
rejoiced in church, taking great pleasure in raising my voice in song while
seated with other choir members, attending church functions, having much needed
heart to heart talks with church leadership to obtain spiritual guidance and
overall just enjoying the camaraderie of people that believed and worshiped
just like me.
Without going into the
specifics of why, I found myself in the position of leaving the church. I left with a broken heart and a new found
perspective of what organized religion truly meant. I tried to find another church to hopefully
replace the one that I had lost, and after several years of searching, I
realized that there wouldn’t be another church…at least in my immediate
future. I had lost my belief in organized
religion as I knew it, but not in God as I understood Him/Her.
One of the things that
became crystal clear to me is that in the midst of scandals and perhaps faith
misplaced, people were looking for a way to get to God and enjoy a deeper,
spiritual relationship with Him/Her. For
years, that meant going to church, listening to the much needed sermons, paying
your tithes and with that hopefully, you came away with a better way to live
your life.
Read this article in it's entirety by clicking the link below!
~ J.L. Whitehead
I still believe that organized religion exists, but I do not feel an organization or building (like a church) is necessary for everyone to feel connected to their religion. It's all in the person and what they choose to do which is why we were given free will.
ReplyDeleteI am in total agreement with you Ms. Armstrong. But I've been brought up to believe that church and God goes hand in hand. It's only been of late that I've adapted the ideology that I can love and worship God without attending church. Life for me has been somewhat calmer since I've made that decision.
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