Genesis Ch. 1-3

In Genesis Chapters 1 through 3, we see the origins of the world. God's six individual days of labor in creating the entire Earth are described, followed by the one day of rest, in chapter 1. In Genesis 2, God makes Adam, and eventually makes Eve, from Adam's rib, as a companion and wife for him; they live innocently and naively in the Garden of Eden, unaware of things such as the fact that they are naked. In Genesis 3, Eve is tempted by the serpent in the garden to eat from the one tree God forbade them to eat from; she complies, eating from it and then giving some to Adam. Consequently, they are banished from the Garden of Eden.

I grew up in the kind of family that went to church every Sunday and that sang a blessing before dinner each night, but over the years we seem to have evolved (or I have, at least). I've come to a point where I don't consider myself religious, though I know that this could potentially change at any time. For now, what's thought of as standard Christianity doesn't really work for me--or really any religion, for that matter. I can't quite bring myself to accept the idea that everything is for a reason or that there's a plan for everything; the world has too much pain for that to make sense to me. I hope it's clear, though, that I can believe in good without believing in God.

I have to add, however, that I do absolutely value faith. In fact, several of my friends are extremely secure in their faith, and to some extent, I envy them. If I could believe that there really was someone or something that was with me every step of the way, my life would not be quite so hard to muddle through. While it just doesn't work for me, I never want to put down the faith of others. I'm always happy for my friends that their faith is so strong and that it means so much to them.

And that's the thing--thinking of someone who stays with me every step of the way doesn't make me think of God, it makes me think of my friends and my family. Maybe I'm not particularly religious, but I have faith in the people I love, and to me, that is more than enough.