I am far from religious, but I always have faith, you may
hold my Christian schooling responsible for that, but before you judge, the
ONLY reason my parents put me in Christian school is because they offered the
best academic programs in the country, faith and religion were an afterthought,
if that….not to mention that I was raised amidst many other religions. My maternal grandmother was Muslim and my
paternal grandmother Hindu, - both practicing by the way- while my native
Indian paternal grandfather has us praying to trees to ensure safe entry into
the rainforest. How I miss the holidays
(read: food) associated with all of these religious celebrations.
Today, I make it to church on average once a month and leave
it mostly to my husband, who tried to convince me I need to play a larger role
in getting the kids to church, but research shows it does not matter what the
mother does, the father’s behavior has more impact in religious matters, so off
the hook I am.
A few weeks ago we hosted an atheist visitor from China who
did not speak ANY English and through a translator requested to accompany us to
church. I found it a rather strange
request considering the language barrier, but off to Dulin United Methodist
church we went. Our visitor videotaped
the service as well as the physical church decorations, pews and all. She seemed to take it all in, leaving me quite perplexed as she did not
videotape what I would have considered “more important” and personal events to
her during her 9 day stay in the US. It made me ponder why such deep interest from a non-believer? So I discussed it with a friend who told me
that for many Chinese people, being in church and attending a service is a very
unique experience. Okay, I understand,
but I cannot help but think about the time when my father who never stepped
foot in a church was dying and one of his last words were a request for a
Catholic burial throwing the entire non-Catholic family in a frenzy.
Thus, I ask, is there something innate in our humanness that
make us seek out God or a higher being whether we’re near dead or alive? Your thoughts please?
