Friday, April 5, 2013

[Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 18 ]

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

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I'm tired of being told what to believe and what to do about it. Have I not told you already that I do not want to follow the religion anymore? Why are you still telling me to go to church? I remember you not saying no when I told you about it. You didn't oppose to it, so why?

I remember that time when you asked me about my opinion on my siblings' irreligious stance. I replied with my opinion, which is that everyone is free to believe what they want to, and you just told me "manahimik ka". Were you telling me to "keep quiet" or "shut up"? Keep quiet would've been less harsh, but in this case, either one of them were equally rude. I mean, here I am, expressing MY opinion on something that YOU ASKED FOR, and you tell me to shut up because it doesn't agree with yours? How immature and narrow-minded is that?

I understand that I was the most religious person in our family before. I was the one who kept telling you guys to go back to Catholicism when we were unknowingly converted into Pentecostalism because we were new back then. I HATED it when they did that. They took away a part of me WITHOUT TELLING ME. THEY DID NOT ASK FOR MY PERMISSION. They just did it without informing me. Is it because it did not matter to them because I was young? Anyway, it just shows how much of a religious zealot before.

That may have been the case before, but things change. People change, and so do their preferences, opinions and beliefs. Growing up in a country with a radically different environment in relation to our home country, it would be understandable, and perhaps unavoidable.

I ask you to respect my beliefs. I never disrespected yours, so why can't you do the same for me? Same goes for my brother. If he wants to be atheist, then be it. Don't force him to believe something he does not want to.


It's a basic human right.


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As much as I'd like to directly confront you about this issue, I cannot do it right now for fear of being disowned, and getting disowned before getting a job or at least a getting a university degree isn't very practical, is it? Especially in my situation. It's so ridiculous, you know? I have to act like something I'm not in order to get approval from my parents and to keep the peace. The same goes for some of my friends. I'm so afraid of telling my other friends because I'm afraid they'll ignore me. I already feel alone because most of the people that were close to me are so distant right now (not only physically but socially, in a way). I don't want to lose my remaining friends.

Speaking of which, I'm friends with someone who is a JW. Her sister decided to leave the congregation and therefore, got kicked out of their house. If I tell my friends right now about my situation, my JW friend will look at me negatively. All of my friends are important. I don't want to lose even one of them.


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Signing Off at...

2:09 AM