Religion was one of those things my mother said not to question but to rather go along with, and with time I would understand. However I am now almost 18 years old and still don’t quite understand but have created a relationship with. I have yet to get any answers to my questions. Why are there so many religions?Who created them?How do we know if any of the bible stories are true? These are all questions I had as a kid. When we would go to church I would sit there and listen to the bible verses and stories our priest would tell. I would start to wonder how any of this could be true. Sometimes there would be deacons who would answer our questions but of course with more bible verses or stories it, naturally as kids we would just keep asking “why?” until he would hush us away because he had ran out of answers and explanations to give us. My mother, who is very religious and a found believer, liked that I took an “interest” in religion but didn’t like all the questions I was asking. She would tell me “those are things you do not ask but leave to them to answer”. Who is “them”? Why “them”? This would naturally spark my interest more but out of respect to my mother I stopped asking so many questions. Nonetheless these questions would remain in the back of my mind. I vividly remember this one history teacher I had in 6th grade was very verbal about conspiracy theories along with other things. She would be the one to have an answer/explanation to my questions. She would give me her belief the scientifical belief and why others believe. In the end she would leave it up to us to formulate our own answers to our questions if there even was a clear answer to them. She was jewish but showed respect and insight about hers and other religions. She told students no question was dumb as long as we were willing to listen and think with an open mind. In my years of being in school I have only truly encountered two teachers who truly made me think of the bigger “why?”. Both being good encounters and great teachers changing my way of seeing and thinking about things.
