1. Were you raised in a particular religious faith? I grew up Baptist. That meant that every Sunday, you got really dressed up, you got you hair done, and went to church where the pastor stood on his pulpit and put on a show for you. Being Baptist meant that when the pastor spoke his sermon, it would get into you body and soul until you had no choice but to stand up, wave your arms in the air and yell, “Hallelujah, Praise The Lord. Amen.” It was also where you heard the soul of today’s black music in the gospel choirs, singing on the side in their robes, filled with the love of God. At one point, I was one of those voices, singing in the youth choir. My mother was also Baptist, however Korean Baptist are a little more subdued than their African-American counterparts. Still, they were livelier than say, their Presbyterian or Protestant brothers/sisters.
2. Do you still practice that faith? Why or why not? Unfortunately, I am a stray sheep from the flock. It’s a source of confusion and frustration for me. I can’t pinpoint the exact date of when I lost my faith; I just know that I have been looking for it or for something to replace it ever since. I declare myself has an Agnostic, which comes the closest to labeling what I believe in now. I still go to church with my family when I go visit them or when they come down here. And I have gone to church with friends and ex-girlfriends. In both cases, I am more a guest visiting the church than an active parishioner.
3. What do you think happens after death? I have been told by friends, families, and ex-girlfriends that I am going to go to Hell. Me personally, I haven’t given it much serious thought. I joke that I would like to get a nice office job in hell; maybe somewhere in the 200’s levels of hell. If I’m bad enough, maybe I can get a corner window cubicle where I could see the new arrivals getting tortured on their way to sentencing. I think it’s kinda funny, however I’ve been told it’s not and that I shouldn’t joke about something serious like that. So to go back to the original question, I don’t know
4. What is your favorite religious ritual (participating in or just observing)? I’ve never participated in it, but I think that Catholic Confession is the greatest thing. You live a good life, but along the way you commit some sins. We are not perfect you know. So you go into this little room and you spill your guts to a priest. He make you do some Hail Maries, and all of your sins are gone. The Catholics that I knew in High School hated going to confession, but I think that if I was a Catholic, I would love it.
5. Do you believe people are basically good? Hmmm. I wish I had my paper from the Lord of The Flies, cause I don’t know how I answered the question then. According to the rules of society, we are born bad. When we are young, we have to be taught the difference between what’s right and what is wrong. We are taught that drawing a picture is good but doing it all over the dining room walls is bad. So we are born bad, not good.
Current mood: accomplished
Current music: The Doors – Alabama Song (Whiskey Song)
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