Two Students Discuss Their Religious (Non-)Affiliations
"I'm an Atheist" - Travis Baron
Atheism is simply a lack of belief. I do not believe in God, Zeus, or the Flying Spaghetti Monster. I just do not believe that there is a higher power in the universe controlling what we do or watching over our lives. I firmly hold that only I am in control of the actions that I take and the consequences that follow.
My future is what I make of it and will be shaped by the relationships I form and the decisions I choose to make. I also believe that this is the one life that we have, so I will make the best of it. There is no holy book from which I base my values. I simply will not treat others how I am not prepared to be treated. Moreover, I fear those who expect forgiveness in the face of a wrong they may commit. The way in which I live is up to me and I will have to bear the consequences throughout my life.
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"I'm a Muslim" - Shereen Dudar
In my life, I’ve said a lot of curse words, had a few drinks, and had sex zero times. Although I am a Muslim, I have a fairly typical lifestyle, minus pork. I was born into this religion, but I also explored my options and found that I liked where I was just fine.
For me, being a Muslim is almost another part of my culture more than a religion. My decision to stay Muslim was really a process of elimination. The religion didn’t have major questionable flaws and I was attracted to the unedited aspect. Yes, it’s a little bit outdated, but the ideals are definitely being adapted with more current generations. When someone is in the mood to argue with me about the flaws in my religion, women always come up. Some of the main claims are that they were not treated well, a lot married young, and were sometimes one of many wives. Well, I’m a woman saying I’m treated fantastically by men of my culture. I’m 19 with no intentions to marry before I graduate college, and polygamy in Islam is now at a whopping one percent. Speaking of percentages, 19% of the world identify as Muslims, which is second only to Christianity and its various denominations.
http://www.lbunion.com/culture/234-in-the-garden-of-even.html
