The faces that people make when I tell them that I am not a religious individual always baffle me. They look as if I had just committed 12 murders and robbed a couple banks on the side.

Why is it an awful thing that some people just aren’t religious? For some, religion is not something that they focus on or believe in at all. For me, I believe in a higher power. I just do not believe that this higher power is God. While I come from a family of highly religious people, I do not put religion at the top of my priorities.

Does that make me a bad person? I consider myself a hard worker and I always try to do my best and be a good-hearted person to my friends and family. Putting others before myself has always been one of my main goals, and I believe that I always try to be the best person I can be.

Many people believe that going to church every Sunday and following in the path of God is the way that everyone should be. And some even go as far as to believe that that is the only way to truly be a good person.

Why is being part of a religion the only way to do good for others? I’m not saying that having a religion isn’t a great way of life or that people don’t benefit from it, but it disappoints me that some look down on those of us who don’t believe in God.

I believe that I can be a good human being on my own, without a religious figure. It angers me when people silently judge me solely based on the fact that I am not a believer, but I will always stay strong to the values that I hold. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I hope that everyone comes to accept this.