Post #1

What factors of your native culture have informed your religious world view? Explain the impact of these factors

Growing up in a Mexican household for the first eight years of my life, I was sent to a Catholic school and attended mass every Sunday. My grandparents raised me strictly in regards to their Catholic faith, and although my parents were not as persistent about it, they agreed to follow through with my grandparents wishes. I said my prayers every day and studied the Bible at school, but it was a role I followed. I had no passion for any of it. The language they used during mass was incomprehensible for my minuscule brain and I felt disconnected. All Mexicans I knew grew up just like me, and I concluded that religion was something people did in order to fit an appearance and not be a minority. I always thought to myself, why do people care so much about religion, a man named Jesus, and God when there are much more interesting and fun things in the world such as toys, Disney movies, and theme parks.
However, my opinion changed once I moved to Korea. Being secluded from my grandparents and uncles I used to live with for so long, my parents discontinued trying to teach and guide me through the Catholic faith. Soon enough, my immediate family became apathetic towards religion, and I became so confused and lost. For a while I felt relieved to have my Sundays free, but it was only short lived. I started questioning the purpose of living and naturally fell back into the habit of praying. I prayed to God, something I believed to be in control of everything. When conversations relating faith and who is protecting us in regards to the metaphysical world, my parents would tell me how they believe their ancestors were watching over us and how it seemed more rational and logical to say that they cared more than God because we are descendants of them. I lived with this idea for four years until I became reintroduced to Christianity when I transferred to TCIS.
At first, I was reluctant to accept anything the school preached because it was completely different than the way my elementary Catholic school was. Instead of having worship in a church that sung holy old fashioned boring songs, and had priests leading the services in such a formal way, TCIS sung modern songs, spoke in a friendly manner, and had chapel and church in an atrium. I liked it here so much more than at my old Catholic church, but when so many staff talked negatively about Catholicism, I felt myself create a barrier with what the school believed in because I naturally was defensive of my past as I yearned for it more and more the longer I was away from it. During my first two years at TCIS, I felt myself being tugged in different ways. My mom’s Japanese culture of honoring the ancestors versus Christianity, and within Christianity, which one to choose from, and the possibility of some other religion boggled my mind.
Now, I claim to be a Christian, but sometimes I doubt my faith because I still feel I don’t know enough. However, I am still young and believe that as time goes by I will understand and learn more to grow in my faith. I guess, the culture that I first grew up in has impacted me the most, and although I am currently in a place where there are opposing religions, God has purposely placed TCIS along my path for a reason.