The First Belief I Claimed for Myself
Leaving your religion and finding out what you truly believe for yourself.
As I was contemplating leaving the religion I grew up in (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, aka Mormons), I was very fortunate that there was a fellow grad student in my program who confided in me that she left the religion (cult) of her upbringing as well.
She said, “Don’t let anyone give you crap for not knowing what you believe just yet. They wouldn’t know either; they’ve just absorbed everything they were told growing up. You get to choose what you really believe to be true.”
I was grateful for her advice. And the very first belief I claimed was:
I believe that Angels have wings!
Mormons barely reference angels, and their version of angels are blah and they specifically do NOT have wings. (Have you seen “the angel Moroni” on top of Mormon temples?) They think true angels from God won’t try to shake your hand and all sorts of weird stuff.
Boring!
It may be the romantic in me, but I always loved pictures of Angels with large feathered wings.
I get to choose what I believe now, and I believe in Angels with wings!
I actually call on Angels now quite a bit (I’m not calling on God, so I guess I need some type of helpers now, don’t I?)
Does it honestly matter if Angels have wings? Or even if they exist? No. But I get to choose what I believe, and it makes me happy to think of benevolent, gorgeous-looking Angels with huge-ass feathered wings hovering over me, flying to and fro, guiding and trying to help me with my kiddo and this thing called life (if I let them help me). It make me HAPPY to believe this.
And so, I do. Have you thought about what you really believe?
