My religious consciousness is different from my ordinary consciousness. There are a lot of actions that some people consider to be acceptable and ordinary, but religious people consider to be a sin. There are also certain objects, places, and times of the year that a non-religious person would think of as ordinary, but a some religious people would view as very special.
             From a Christian viewpoint, a Church is a holy place. It is thought of as the House of God. When I go to Church on Sunday, I find myself in a very religious mood. On another day of the week, Tuesday for example, I might not think of God even once all day long. When I go to Church I am thinking of how grateful I am that God loves me and I thank Him for the opportunity to live in this wonderful world. When I leave Church it is very possible that my religious feelings will slowly fade away. By Tuesday, I might be back to thinking like an average American (non-religious) guy. It would be nice to have something at home to remind me of the thoughts that I was thinking in Church on Sunday. I do have some religious items, but they are not displayed in a place where I see them every day.
             Christmas is a time of the year when I am thinking about God a lot more often. With all the decorations around the house and the neighborhood, it's hard to forget about Him. I know some non religious people who celebrate Christmas, but they do not think of it as a religious holiday. To them it is just a holiday to be with the family and exchange gifts - they skip all the religious ideas behind it.
             There are also some actions that might not get a second thought from some people, but that I would feel guilty doing. I would think of these actions as sins. A few examples are lying and stealing. I know some people who might tell a lie every now-and-then. They think that nobody knows the truth except them. I know that I have had that thought cross my mind too. The diff...