Carissa Arellano

Dr. Michelle Kells

Eng 320
This I believe
Raised Catholic, I remember smelling incense and sitting on a hard pew. I kicked my
feet, tickled my sister, and my mother pinched me for not paying attention to the
priest.
Later, I tasted the cracker and wine, I smiled to myself that I was sipping alcohol at
the age of ten. I believed in God, but I also believed in the Easter bunny and Santa
Clause. Soon enough, everyone told me that the Easter Bunny and Santa Clause did
not exist.
So what does exist?
I know that faith believes in what you cannot perceive with your senses. Therefore, I
questioned God, but kept my faith.
As I grew older, I learned about religions across the world and I realized that religion
is diverse and unique. Soon I understood that beliefs are true if you perceive them
to be true. Beliefs are not tangible, they can be molded, they can be dismissed, and
they can be strengthened. However, beliefs will never be solid evidence. Yet, people
have talked about religion as if it were fact. I wondered how the human race could
have so much faith in something they could not experience with the five senses.
I lost my faith. I could not comprehend how something as simple as a difference in
belief or religion could cause a war.
Faith is pliable. Beliefs change as often as the choices I make.
Now I believe in crystals, meditation, and a universal consciousness. My beliefs are
true because I believe in them. Crystals, meditation, and a universal consciousness
may be false to you because you do not believe in them. I honor your opinion.
I do not believe in presenting your faith as if it were fact. Unless you have solid
proof that Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny exists, do not ask me to have faith.
Most importantly, I believe in preserving faith, so I will not dispute yours.
I believed the Easter bunny and Santa Clause existed, so they did. Now I know that
they do not exist so they do not. Conclusively, it does not matter if Santa Clause
exists or not. If you believe Santa Clause to exist, then I value your faith. If you
believe the flying spaghetti monster to be true, then I value your faith.
I believe in a nation that has the freedom to believe in anything it wants to believe. I
believe in a nation that is comfortable in having faith in anything. I believe in a
melting pot of spiritualties, religions, faiths, and beliefs. I believe in understanding
the core tenant of every religion to be love. I believe in honoring differences,
spiritual or not.
What I cannot agree with, however, is fighting over which religion is true and which
is not. I refuse to mold my beliefs into what is suitable for another.

Carissa Arellano
Dr. Michelle Kells
Eng 320
I believe that everyone should preserve his or her honest faith, and respect
anothers if it different. In the end, no one can take your faith, not even society.