Those that know me closely know that I am a deeply religious person. As a Christian I constantly search for spiritual purpose in my life. As a result, not much of what I do is secular, for my action and decisions are grounded upon my spiritual Christian belief system. I may not openly say pronounce myself Christianity as a justification or reason for my actions, but I strive daily to live a good Christian lifestyle. The Holy Bible and Christian teachings help to guide my decisions and, while I am not perfect, I can honestly say that it has helped me to become a better human being.
Although I’ve not spoken about it directly to my friends here in Washington, during my time here I’ve had a number of religious experiences that have strengthened my faith. I am extremely grateful for these experiences, and would like to share them with you all today.

The first experience I can remember occurred on the subway. I was missing my friends back at college, specifically those in the gospel choir of which I am a part of, and found myself singing a gospel song entitled Jesus You Are. The song’s lyrics represent a dialogue between the singer and Christ; it’s one of my favorites to sing. As I was singing an elderly woman heard, recognized, and joined in on the chorus. Eventually I had to get off at my stop, but before I left she approached and asked sweetly, “Was I mistaken young man, or were you praising the Lord just now?” I replied that I was and we both parted saying “God bless” to one another. I left feeling connected and loved.

The next experience occurred at my internship at the Institute of Global Engagement, which is a Christian non-profit organization that promotes religious freedom internationally. The spiritual experience occurred during morning devotionals. During devotionals the staff of IGE come together to apply the spiritual to the secular activities that we work on daily, which serves as a daily moment of spiritual reflection; it is a very useful and effective practice to keep an organization on task.

During one of the devotionals I found myself openly sharing my relationship with God with the group. Very candidly I explained that compared to most of my family I am extremely religious. I never went to church as a child, except for occasionally on Christmas Eve, yet through personal experiences I felt the love of God in my life. This in and of itself helped me to live a better more moral life. The act of sharing my intimate spiritual experiences was a very fulfilling one and helped me to feel closer to the staff of IGE.

The final experience that I want to share is the most important, for, while some may look skeptically at my beliefs or feel uncomfortable with the how I place so much importance on the Holy Bible for moral guidance, yet this last experience addresses these concerns. During a gathering of some friends here in D.C. a guest and I began discussing religion. He was convinced that religion was a means of manipulation, and that secularism held more morality than my Christian ideology. Now, at this moment many feelings arose within me, including anger and bitterness at his cynical and misplaced judgment, yet I found myself quietly and patiently explaining my point of view. The following is a summary of the points I made in defense of my spiritual creed:

Life is full of fear, suffering, and pain. Religion helps me deal with the plagues that ail humanity. Some may be skeptical in my beliefs, yet as I cannot prove beyond a doubt to a nonbeliever that God does not exist, neither can a nonbeliever prove to my with 100% certainty that God does not exist. This is where faith comes into play and it is built upon one’s experiences and ability to discern when coincidence becomes fate. I do not believe in coincidence. Some may disagree with me, yet there are things in this life that are simply beyond the scope of human understanding. I believe in the Holy Bible as a tool to guide my life. Yes, many have abused the teachings of the Bible and as a result, many heinous acts and transgressions against humanity have ensued. However, these inhumane acts are not the fault of religion or the Bible, but rather the blame falls upon the implementer.

This form of manipulation is not found solely in the world of religion however. It is found in the sciences and politics of humankind. Freedom has been manipulated by the government through the manipulation of politics and rhetoric, science has been warped by the creation of weapons of mass destruction, and cultures have been diluted with the diffusion of immoral medias that pit brother against brother; religion, like science, politics, and culture, has been manipulated before. The only difference is that, while politics and science can be measured by numbers, religion is supported by something immeasurable…faith.

Ultimately, my faith in God makes me a better person. Those that know me as a happy, confidence, and moral human being should be thankful for my deep spiritual beliefs, for without them I would not be Joe. My faith and love for God fulfills me.