About Religion--Don't Get Offended

So for this blog I actually picked a topic right away, I guess because I'm in more of a philosophical than creative mood.  It's not meant to be taken that seriously, it's just a short summary of  how I have grown spiritually.  

I've always wanted to have a religious experience to help me define how I feel and what I believe. Attending Catholic private school for eight years resulted in no such experience, and a general dislike of organized religions. My beliefs have gone from mindless acceptance to the Bible, to a distrust of authority, to complete rebellion against the whole idea. Since that point, my views have come a long way. First of all, there were a series of events that happened in my life that made me see the world from a whole new perspective. When I moved to Georgia before freshman year, I entered a time in my life where I felt disconnected from everyone and everything and lost all faith in the Catholic church. When I was finally able to get back on my feet, I was less angry at the world and realized I was simply confused and lacking any idea of what I believed.  I have since developed my own unique set of views that don't fall under any one category.  Although I am still ignorant of all the possibilities, I have since opened my mind to new ideas and have a better sense of myself and the world around me.

My defining experience happened not too long ago, although I would call it more spiritual than religious.  I am not a converted believer in any sense.  If anything, I got farther away from conventional practices.  In my opinion, I am merely one step closer to the truth that lies in this mysterious universe.  I'm not going to explain in detail exactly what I believe and how I came to it, mostly because I wouldn't know how.  It's hard to verbalize it, especially to people who have closed their minds to any other possibility than monotheism.  I don't mean to sound condescending towards those faiths, because they have just as much credibility and possibility as anyone's.  However, I think that if everyone could stretch their imaginations and try looking at life differently than they always have been taught to, the world would be a more peaceful, beautiful and understanding place.  Basically what I'm trying to say is, whether you love Jesus, follow Buddha, or hail Satan, I urge you to take a step back and think about things with more of an open mind. No one is right or wrong, but everyone can begin to understand the universe better by simply admitting that they know nothing at all.  From there, the possibilities are endless.