My Visitor

For the last few weeks I have had a weekly visitor to my home. She started coming and leaving some pamphlets and then asked if she could do bible study each week with me for about 30 minutes. She is an elderly lady and a little lonely I think. So I told her yes. She is after all harmless and 30 minutes out of my time each week is nothing.

She comes and we read her little book and talk about whatever we are reading. She has never asked me what religion I am or if I even attend a church. I am in NO way criticizing her religion so please no one take it as such. I am merely voicing an opinion. Most of what is written in her little book that we read I can agree with. There is no dispute, etc. The biggest problem I have is that while of course all religions feel theirs is THE religion, some of the things that is said about various religions is a bit offensive.

As you all know I make no excuse or apologies for the fact that I am Roman Catholic. My siblings have chosen other religions and I respect that. What I do not do is criticize their religion in any way. Maybe it is just that I look at the world differently. Yes my religion has had many scandals. It doesn’t in any way make the religion itself wrong. Our church leaders are after all merely men, full of faults. We have thousands of years of dogma and traditions that many people don’t understand and bringing a religion into this century is a long battle.

The other thing that bothers me is that my version of the bible gets criticized each week. I use a Women’s Devotional Bible. It is a modern speech bible that is easy to read and understand. I do have a traditional Catholic Bible as well as a King James version. I simply choose to use a version that I can understand.

I think what she does, going out everyday, is to be commended. I just feel that maybe there are better ways to go about spreading the word. I guess I just feel that my beliefs and thoughts should be taken into consideration but if I try to bring them up I am quickly told that her religion is the only correct religion. What started as an enjoyably weekly visit has become dreaded. I am pressured more and more each to visit her church and change my ways. She tells how her religion accepts all people from all races but she preached to me about my interracial marriage after meeting my children for the first time. I got the age old Zebra reference and told that I was a sinner and my children are, well let’s say less than Godly.