I remember the day that I realized my religious beliefs were different from others. It was quite enlightening really. I was about thirteen years old and in a World Religions class at school. We talked about all sorts of religions. We discussed how they came to be and how they differed. Then we went around the room and stated our personal faith. I heard people saying, "I'm Christian" or "I'm Jewish". One person even said they were agnostic. Then it came to me and I had to say something. Finally I simply said, " I haven't made up my mind yet. I was raised in a Methodist family but have much respect and curiosity concerning other religions as well." That being said people soon turned their heads and started asking questions.
             One person asked, " how can you be Christian and also believe in other religions?" Another person asked if there was a religion I didn't believe in or if I just ran the gamete? Realizing I might have just given the wrong answer, I soon had to explain my belief system to basic strangers. To say they were quite surprised to hear someone say they believed in Evolution, Wicca, Christianity, Buddhism, and other religions. I had to explain why it was possible for each one to have a place with each other. With that I found that very few people have the mental capacity to draw similarities together concerning their beliefs. They are set on believing that their religion is the only way and it does not vary into other religions.
             Of course when I started explaining how Christianity derived some of its holidays from the Wiccan faith and how Evolution surely had a place in Christianity, they all started shaking their heads just a little more. The odd part was, while the students were shaking their heads, the teacher was watching me and giving some sort of smile indicating approval. Whether it was approval based on my belief structure or that I had found the gumption
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