Religious View

Like most that grew up in Giles County, my parents had me in church each Sunday.   Starting at a very young age, I was in Sunday school, cantatas, and puppet ministries to support the church.   My family is Baptist, “back row Baptist”, as my dad likes to call us.   That term doesn’t necessarily carry a positive connotation, but we really did try our best to be supportive in spite of our hectic schedules.   Some Christian families push their children to only listen to Christian music, go strictly by the bible, and never ever stray from the word of God.   My parents urged my brother and I to follow the bible’s teaching and always do our best to be the best person we possibly could.

Since I entered my teen years, I think my beliefs haven’t really changed much, but they have morphed into the complete idea I need to shape my life. Baptist perspective reminds us that the Bible is the ultimate guide to shaping one’s life.   Personally, I don’t take it that seriously; I fully acknowledge the Bible as a guideline, but I keep it at that, a guideline. I think the book was mainly supposed to be used for us as followers to take away lessons instead of being taken so literally.   My question of faith has been tested again and again throughout my young adulthood; all being rooted with the church contradicting itself in the teachings of priests varying from passages in the Bible.   I’ve always been told that “accepting Jesus as your personal savior” was the key to being saved, and therefore going to heaven. The other vital piece to becoming saved is baptism; which has been made to seem like an option in most churches.   In several passages in the Bible you can clearly make the distinction that both baptism and spiritual acceptance go hand in hand to ensure salvation.   Peter tells the people in Acts 2:38 to:
“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins”
He then continues the passage in Acts 2:40:
“And with many other words did he...