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| Plaque that appears outside every Kingdom Hall |
As I have mentioned in previous instances, I was not born in the United States. I moved here in November 2004 from Quito, Ecuador. I was eleven at the time, but from a very young age I was accustomed to going to church, or the Kingdom Hall for Jehovah’s Witnesses as I technically am. My maternal grandmother was the one to teach, explain, and dispel any questions I had about religion and its many ramifications. I went with her to meetings in the Kingdom Hall, Bible studies, and trips. People thought me to be someone very spiritual for someone so young.
My father, whom I moved here with, does not agree with every pillar of the Jehovah’s Witnesses beliefs, so he didn’t necessarily make an effort to take me to meetings or Bible studies. We didn’t have a car for a while, so I did not press the issue. Next thing I knew, I stopped going altogether and spent Sundays worshipping in my sleep.
When I went back to Ecuador two summers ago to vacation, my grandmother had made plans to take me to Kingdom Hall, and I graciously agreed to go to see the people I had not seen in four years. I got there, and the first thing I noticed was that I did not relate to these people. When they asked what Kingdom Hall was like here, I found myself lying to not look bad and to pretend I had been to meetings and Bible studies. I even promised several people to not abandon the faith.
This trip made me realize that religion is not such an important part of my life as it was when I was a kid. To this day I have a complicated view of religion and churches: I believe in God and the Bible, but I don’t necessarily belong to any religious community. Religion is not one of my favorite topics to talk about at the dinner table at Thanksgiving, but I will talk about how churches appear only as buildings to me.
Going back to Ecuador made me realize that going to church every Sunday is not exactly one of my priorities and that I can get by without it. Of course, I believe in God, the Bible, and the power of prayer, but I don’t think it’s necessary to go to church – or in my case Kingdom Hall – to express my beliefs. In my opinion, God is everywhere, and if I keep him in my heart and mind it should be enough. I know many will disagree and bombard me with reasons why church is important and necessary, but I’ve lived too long without it to be swayed.
