Keeping an open mind

B and I went to our first Catholic wedding-related workshop last night. I have not really participated in organized religion since I was 11. These days I only go at Christmas, sometimes Easter and whenever B's parents are visiting us. I'm trying to keep an open mind about religion but there are too many stumbling blocks for me to overcome.

When I turned 11, the tribe moved to Canada. I think our lives changed and we had so much going on that religion took a back seat. I don't remember if my parents even tried to find a church. We always thought we would only be in Canada for 2 years but that stretched into 6 years. That probably would have been longer if my mom hadn't said that we were going back to the US no matter what.

I think I was put off religion a little while dating an ex-boyfriend who was Southern Baptist. The preacher always made me feel like I had a big, red, blinking sign above my head flashing SINNER with an arrow pointing to me. He also used to complain about how hypocritical the church members and church preachings were. I think that's when I first started listening to what the church was saying. I wasn't impressed. I've always lived by the saying, "To each, his own". Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and I will not force mine on another person. This is especially true with religion.

Anyway, this workshop talked about the sacrement of marriage and the Catholic church's view on marriage and what it means. It was interesting. The priest asked many questions but luckily I was off the hook since I'm a heathen (non-Catholic). They also gave us some things to think about when choosing readings for our wedding ceremony. Things that make you go hmmmmm...