One of the phrases heard all too often is, “I know it sounds stupid, but I started going to church.” And almost always I have a very confused look on my face; what’s stupid about going to church? And how would someone respond to that? “Oh yeah, that is totally stupid that you find comfort in some type of higher being.”
What is ‘stupid’ about being a college student who wants to find a sense of faith, or if you’re a college student who doesn’t want to believe in faith at all? There’s nothing stupid about finding comfort in something that others don’t. People find comfort or a sense of Zen in many different ways, all of which might seem out of the ordinary, but never stupid.
Growing up in a Catholic household where I went to private school my entire life, gave me a different perspective on the idea of religion. Religion wasn’t forced on us in any way. It was a choice, and later in life, it became comforting and relaxing.
As I grew up, I learned certain things about Catholicism that I didn’t agree with. For example: I was bummed out to find that, “Jonah and the Whale” wasn’t a fact based story. I still relate to being a Catholic, but now, instead of being told what I should believe, I have my own perspective on things.
Being a Catholic isn’t what this article is about, nor is it fully about faith. It’s about understanding that people deal with things in different ways. Those different outlets shouldn’t be considered stupid. (Unless what you’re doing is highly illegal, then I would suggest a different path.)
“I know it’s stupid, but I started going to church.” Frankly, I don’t know of anyone who thinks that people who are religious are stupid.
The idea of church shouldn’t be considered outlandish. I don’t quite understand why it is considered out of the social norm for a college student to attend church. If something causes an individual to go to some church of some type of religion, then maybe they long to feel a sense of tranquility in this busy world.
A feeling of relaxation for a college student usually entails complaining about their busy day (all day) followed by telling their friends how they are going to get a drink as soon as they get home. Which is fine, and I have absolutely said that, but no one questions the stupidity in drinking a bottle of cheap wine at noon.
“I know it sounds stupid, but I’m going to go home and drink an entire bottle of wine.”
Say that out loud right now… That sounds extremely weird and borderline off putting when said under the same terms. So why has society lead us to believe that it’s goofy to attend church?
Truth be told, one of the ways I ‘Zen out’ is I dance in my apartment (usually wearing my USA hockey jersey and wool socks). If my neighbors are lucky, they’ll hear me sing my brains out as well. That’s goofy, rather than stupid, but it’s what I find relaxing.
Finding that specific feeling where it’s possible to think that everything is going to work out while at church is great. That’s a huge step in having a calm life. I remembered when I first discovered my sweet apartment dance moves, and it changed my life.
On a serious note, is the reason people think that attending church is stupid because they are convinced that they are too far gone for it to seem plausible to attend? In that case, this world needs to bring around the idea of forgiveness again.
It’s as if we have forgotten about the idea of forgiveness. More often, we are simply going through the motions and we don’t truly forgive people for their wrong doings. Forgiveness is a powerful feeling.
It’s impossible to be too far gone to never attend church again. If it were that way, I doubt if churches would have that many people in attendance every weekend. Everyone has the right to clean their slate, and for some, it might be re-discovering that peaceful feeling of church.
What I find to be senseless is to consider it foolish to go to church, but while at church, not care that you’re there. Being cowardly in telling people about your new attendance at church begs the question, why are you going if you aren’t clearing your mind, finding some type of faith, or living out whatever may be preached to you. Going to go, but not to retain a better outlook on life makes you look foolish and hypocritical. There’s nothing heroic about telling people that you’ve started to go to church again, but still act like a jerk and have a clouded sense of calmness.
Everyone needs a place or an activity to reel them in from this busy, stress-filled world. Finding that outlet to really connect with and feel a genuine sense of Zen, is hard. When you do find it, whatever it may be, take pride in having a place/activity that you can go to and rely on through the bad times. A poor attitude is what make things stupid.