Wednesday, August 29, 2001

Here to learn, not to commit to a set of beliefs
by Monique Bhimani
skiff staff

All my life I have grown up around a wide variety of religious beliefs. My grandmother and mother are both Buddhist, though only my grandmother practices the faith. My grandfather is Protestant. My father was Muslim and my stepfather is a non-practicing Roman Catholic.

As long as I can remember, my family has watched “The Ten Commandments” every Easter, taken pictures of the great gift exchange at Christmas and celebrated Tet every Chinese/Vietnamese New Year.

Neither my sister nor I have ever been baptized under any religion because my mother thought we should have the freedom to commit ourselves to whatever religion we choose.

I understand this is a privately funded institution, but sometimes I feel the pressure to commit to a religious group a little overwhelming. At this point in my life, I consider myself a spiritual person, yet I do not feel I can completely consign myself to any one set of beliefs.

It seems not only the pressure but also the content of these beliefs has sustained this decision.

The other day I got into a conversation with a friend who happened to be Baptist. She explained to me the basis of her religious viewpoints. One of these beliefs happened to concern “accepting Jesus Christ as Savior.” She continued to say that if one expected to be saved, one has to accept this savior or risk being condemned for eternity.

This seemed quite strange to me when I applied this theory to the people I have known all my life. My grandmother, for instance, is the most moral, spiritual and religious person I can think of. She prays nearly every day of the week and visits the Buddhist temple regularly. Almost as often she will donate food and clothing to organizations for the needy.

It is inconceivable to think that a woman so full of goodness and generosity could be condemned for upholding other beliefs beside Christianity.

According to Christian beliefs, God created all people. These people reside on almost every continent on earth.

In my line of reasoning, with these various environments different cultures evolved. From these cultures sprung numerous beliefs and morals to uphold, some of which were expressed in stories and myths. From these myths came structured beliefs and scriptures, which in turn became the basis for religion. Some of the religious beliefs also influenced the way the people chose to be governed.

So if God created so many varieties of people, why would all but a certain religious group be condemned?

Many will have their own version of an explanation to this question and I’m sure each logic could find a roundabout answer that would continue to uphold and defend a certain set of beliefs. With a background such as mine, the reason for such an inquiry is clear.

I do not mean to offend anyone, especially since I have no one set of religious beliefs to claim. I simply want to remind students that the reason we are all here is to become “educated individuals that think and act as responsible citizens in the global community.”

Monique Bhimani is a freshman news-editorial journalism major from San Antonio. She can be contacted at (m.s.bhimani@student.tcu.edu).