Blog for meaning and values

      I have grown up with a very strict religious family.  My parents were very adamant about going to church every Sunday and following all of the rules in our religion. I was even enrolled in Catholic school up until sixth grade. Now, my father was always a lot more strict than my mother was, and one of the rules was that I was forced to always wear a hat in church. I remember constantly arguing over that and questioning why I had to do that even though no other girls had to. Embarrassment was always present because hats weren’t very commonly worn among children unless they were baseball caps, and of course those didn’t look appropriate in church. My mother on the other hand felt that I shouldn’t be forced to wear a hat in church, and she refused to wear one herself. I really didn’t feel because it said in the Bible that it was done so long ago that we still had to do it in this time period, because the Pope never said that we had to do so. This left me very angry most times. Well to this day, when I go to church with my father I sill wear a hat. When I go on my own, I don’t.

       I can see that according to this chapter many people have different values that they feel pretty secure with, but often times, these change over the years. There are some things today that I don’ t know if I truly understand, and I imagine over the years I will maybe gain some more knowledge or wisdom where I meet new experiences. Religion has been a real challenge for me lately, and I feel as though I may have been put to the test a little. Both of my last relationships have involved a partner who really didn’t believe much in the way of religion, and that is basically the opposite of the way I have grown up. That makes a very huge challenge. Both of them had tried to explain to me their reasoning behind why they felt this way. At first I got very upset, but then I tried to listen and be more understanding of where they were coming from. I want to try to respect their views and values without pushing mine upon them. They have for the most part, tried to do the same for me.

Corey, G., Schneider, M. (2010). I Never Knew I Had a Choice.  (Pgs. 372-