“They need a direction, they can’t just flounder about.”
“They will have no moral compass!” “Kids need to believe in something.
They have to have faith!” To be completely frank, referring to religion as faith has always irritated me. In the true sense of the word, faith is absolutely something religions offer to seekers of a higher order to things. The problem is that too often “faith” becomes less about trust in a higher being, than belief that peoples’ perception of their version of a higher power is THE correct version. When faith is about being right or wrong it is not faith; it is fear. I am not saying that this applies to all people of faith. In fact, to be a person of faith means to live in the absence of fear. But for those who do cling to their beliefs as a crutch, faith becomes religion and religion can be very limiting. The root of the word means “binding dedication; orthodoxy.” Don’t get me wrong, rituals and traditions are not insignificant. No need to throw the baby out with the bath water. Traditions give us a sense of belonging. They bind us as families and communities. But as a history teacher, it is just very hard for me to ignore all of the other cultures that coexist on our planet. Thus, when we celebrate religious holidays in our house, it is really about family tradition and nothing more. Again, for me, one religion standing on its own was too limiting. And I realize this may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Sometimes I wish I were able to just roll with things. But I’m not, so instead we rolled the dice and took a leap of faith to “home-religion” our kids.
My son’s upcoming 20th birthday affords me the courage of my convictions. I can now see the spiritual foundation he was given at home by his father and me has worked out fine. He is honest, kind-hearted, bright, curious and, best of all, a very tolerant individual. I’m not saying our way is better, I’m just saying sometimes you just gotta have faith.