I Don't Need To Be Preached To

Hello. I'm Adaline. I'm Catholic, 5' 5", and I like band guys with tattoos. 

What's that? Did I just state my religion? 

Yes, I did. 

I recently received an email, from a reader asking me what Kelsey and I thought about religion. If you follow me on Google +, you know the basis of this story, but I'm going to go completely into the details of it, in order to hopefully get a point across. 

After finding out the emailer was a reader, I went ahead and told her what I believe in. 

I take the title of Catholic as my religion, though to be honest, I believe in a mixture of the actual religion, and my own views and thoughts. I don't believer same sex marriage is a sin, and I support all sexualities, and people who are gender-fluid/trans. 

I told the girl this, and a little while later, she sent back what I'd been expecting all along. 

What was entailed in the email was a very long speech, aided by Bible passages, telling me how gay marriage was in fact a sin (The day I think this is the day you can promptly throw me out of an airplane), that Catholics are not saved by Christ (read threat above), and that I should think long and hard about what I believe in. 

After that, I also received a separate email with a video titled,"2 Roosters Don't Make An Egg," which was a lovely video made by some nice homophobic country people singing about how God said,"Love the brother; but I don't think he meant it that way." 

I am fully aware what sex is. I know it takes a man and a woman to have a child. I am not five. 

I also know people of the same gender can still go at it, if they so please. Might not be able to make anything out of it, but they can adopt, and help reduce the number of orphans in the world. 

 So, I replied back to the email, politely thanking the reader for ruining my morning and giving me a sermon that I didn't need. I told her that I didn't see why I couldn't believe what I wanted to believe in, while she did the same, and we just kept our beliefs to ourselves and lived happily ever after. 

She replied back a little while ago with the picture below. 

I wasn't sure the conversation could get anymore immature, but wow, I was wrong. 

She asked me where my proof was that she was wrong on her views. Do I have proof of this? No. You know why? Because I never said she was wrong in her views. 

"I believe what I believe, you believe what you believe, and it's as simple as that. Nothing you could try to say would make me want to change who I am." 

Did I say anything about her being wrong? No. 

Did I express my annoyance at her trying to make me think about my religion and whether or not my religion was right, and if was saved? Yes. 

I have nothing against people who want to preach their religion to others. I think it's great that someone can have such a love for something that they want to share it with others. You want to know what I don't like though?! 

I don't like the people who try to change others. I don't like those who harass people like me who have already got a religion, already have beliefs, and are perfectly content with what they believe in. I do not understand why people cannot just leave others and their religion alone. 

If you want to "recruit"/"save" more people with your religion, then all I ask is that you find people who are willing to either join your religion, or convert from their old one. Don't try to tell me I'm wrong in what I believe in. Don't tell me I'm not saved. Has that ever really worked on somebody? Have you told somebody they're wrong and watched their eyes widen as they go,"You know what? I'm stupid. You're right. Let me cast aside everything I believe in, so, according to your religion, I can be saved."? I highly doubt it. And if you have; congratulations. But that certainly won't work on people like me. 

I believe what I believe in. That is it. Plain, and simple. 

I don't care if you think I'm wrong. 

I don't care if you think I'm going to Hell. 

And I most certainly don't care about your homophobic farm musical you found on YouTube. 

I might have been less mad about all of this if she hadn't said,"This is not a 'both are right,' thing." 

It is a 'both are right' thing. Because as I've reiterated so many times before: I believe what I believe in and to me, I am right. And to you, you are right. Your way, is not the overall right choice. Especially when it comes down to a subject such as religion. 

Here's a thought-- Before you try and tell somebody their religion is wrong, maybe you should ask them; "Hey, are you interested in hearing how *insert religion here* views things?" If they say yes, proceed to tell them politely about your beliefs. Don't tell them they're wrong. Because guess what? Your religion, is not the world's. Not everybody is going to view things the same way as you do; that's just the way society works. 

xo Adaline 

I wasn't going to post this because I felt it'd be immature to do considering it addresses a reader but I am truly not okay with what happened, and I know this is an issue in the world; I've been meaning to address this for a while.