I have been a devout Catholic my entire life. Very traditional—go to mass on Sundays, commissioner of religious activities in elementary school, leader of my youth group, pray, and keeping with the teachings of the church. I enjoy the traditions. I have had, however, my—not problems, not doubts, not situations—but, maybe, disagreements with the Roman Catholic church’s teachings. Not rules, because the true rules are the Ten Commandments, but some of what being a Roman Catholic is usually associated with. I will never consider leaving the church. I was baptized a Roman Catholic, plan to marry in a Roman Catholic Church, and continue to live for the goodness of all. But, as someone who likes to learn and study, while understanding all of the options available in life, I am not against experiencing other religions.
I have a very good friend that I usually get into pretty deep conversations with. Very often, he would discuss his religion. I was interested so I asked him if I could go to one of his services. The service begins with a sermon. Usually, it is one person speaking for about an hour-an hour and a half on a particular topic. Sometimes there’s a powerpoint, sometimes it involves a white board, but generally it is about the goodness of God and how we each have a calling to be the best that we can be. Everything is based on the Bible; we generally read some passages as the sermon is going on.
After the generally long sermon, there is Sabbatical school. Sabbatical school is based on a week-long topic that consists of daily lessons. Each day should be dedicated to read a specific passage from the Bible and one is supposed to analyze and interpret what one believes the Bible is stating. Sabbatical school is a chance in which everyone can get together and discuss what they have interpreted from the readings.
Obviously, this sounds similar to other religions—a mass and sometimes a group in which people can get together and talk about their religion. A group will always have their geniuses, the smart asses, the people who are just there because their parents force them to, the kids who go because their friends do and the kids who go because it’s tradition and they “have” to. However, the people in this church, at least from my experience, genuinely enjoy Sabbatical school. Genuinely enjoy being involved with the religion. Genuinely enjoy reading the Bible, speaking their opinions, respecting others opinions (even if they do not necessarily agree), and are genuinely positive…all the time.
What is this religion? Seventh Day Adventists. I do not mean to judge, but when it comes to religion, I sometimes do. Not the people themselves, but the fact that some religions can create more fanatics than others. I never studied Adventists, therefore I have no right to have had judged them previously. I just assumed that they were judgy, fanatic, and Ellen White-loving freaks. But in reality, they are a religion based on each one’s own relationship with God. Yes, they have some teachings that I may not completely agree with, but most of the teachings are based on positive values. And, what I found among my friend and his Adventists’ friends is that they are all extremely kind, open, each have their own beliefs and values, and appreciate hearing about others’ opinions. I have never felt looked down upon around them and they have all convinced me enough to go to their Saturday services.
Since I began going to their services, I find myself healthier in mind, body, and spirit. Seriously. They’re a healthy bunch of kids and they keep one another healthy as well. Plus, they will never push their beliefs of God onto others, which is something that (I hope you agree) that I have tried to do my while life. I still go to Catholic mass (don’t worry Papa) and I still am a Catholic, but I am enjoying this whole Adventist-thing. Neat.
(If you would like to learn more about Seventh Day Adventists, look up the information given on Wikipedia—it actually gives a pretty good un-biased telling of the religion. You may understand why I like it!)
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