How I Ended Up Here ~ Part 2

I left off Part 1 explaining how torn I was about my religion of choice due to the Jesus discrepancy (read here to catch up!). Why did I care so much, I would ask myself. There were so many aspects about Reform Judaism that I did like. So many views that I could see myself teaching my children.

But – I knew that the reason was that I didn’t want to have any doubts. My children, I feared, would see right through me. Not to mention, it’s not exactly easy to become an official member of a religion. There is a process involved. And could I stand there and lie through my teeth that I was sure of everything, when I wasn’t?

I envied those who were brought up in a home with faith – or at the very least, religion. Because the two, I knew, were not necessarily synonymous.

And so the years past, and nothing progressed. I would sometimes become angry that my children (there were now two of them), were not gaining the trust and faith during their formative years. As I mentioned in the first post, it was because of my own personal struggles, that I sought out religion in the first place, and I was simply watching the same situation unfold with my own children – or so I thought.

To top things off, I wasn’t better. I was still struggling, but all of a sudden, things changed in my life. I started noticing coincidences, and I was led to people, books, teachers that had a different way of thinking. It was no coincidence, I knew.
(A quick search of this site will lead you to some of my favorites).

Over time, I must have subconsciously let go of the idea that I needed a religion because I began to see the beauty in all religions. I began to “believe in” Buddha, Jesus, Moses, and Mohammed. And I truly believe that their messages, each one of them, are all the same at their core.

Most recently, while reading Deepak Chopra‘s Life After Death, I was presented with an interesting idea. Chopra talks a bit about near-death-experiences, which have been well documented over time, and through this research, shares that an individual providing details of their NDE will describe imagery that pertains to their culture or religion.

An individual in North America will describe pearly gates, shining white lights, and a Father figure waiting for them, while an individual from India will describe something completely different. Fascinating, and to me, just adds to my own idea that there are many paths to spirit, whatever that may look like for you.

I recently heard a quote that beautifully described how I feel – “There are as many paths to God as there are human breaths — Prophet Muhammad”.

I have not yet entered my third decade of life, but I am relieved and happy to say that I have found peace with my own belief system, wide and intangible as it may seem to others. It is based on respect, love, and an understanding that we’re all connected, regardless of which book we learn our morals and values from.

And this is how I ended up here, at The Conscious Perspective.