Slouching from Bethlehem
It was the time of the week where I, like many children, were forced to attend a weekly gathering of faithful snoozing, and genuine insincerity. Growing up in my parents Mexican Catholic home, I was dragged each and every Sunday to mass along with all the other devotes. When I became a little older, and after the conversions to Christianity of my siblings, I joined the ranks of so called Pentecostal Christians. My religious experience was very long winded and confusing, I’m still in disarray; but what happened to me along the way defined who I am as a person and my current inner struggle. To begin with, this experience came very early in my life, and others may believe that I made decisions on my beliefs too early, but I had probable cause.
At ten years old, my personal observations drove me from Roman Catholicism. Though I was very young, it wasn’t difficult for me to reason why Catholicism seemed to be wrong for me. Everything from people taking naps in church to taking change out of the offering plate stuck in my mind. Next were the people kneeling after confession, reciting their twenty Hail Mary’s as though eternal damnation would be cast upon them for a meager nineteen. More importantly, the clergy only increased my dislike of these masses. It was the same thing, week in and week out, the same boring father with the same boring ritualistic blessings and prayers. The same boring and completely unenthusiastic people went up to read what seemed to be the same scripture over and over, week after week. This only encouraged everyone to think that Sunday mass was more like a weekly spiritual shower rather than anything meaningful in their lives.
Alternatively, Christianity contained many aspects of spirituality that were missing from Catholicism. With respect to going to a mass, a Christian service was a proverbial breath of fresh air. Services were sometimes very interesting and never became too repetitive. The pastors...
Sign Up for a Free Account to View this Essay. Sign Up Now. It's Free!