Yesterday I discovered that I am an omnist. I didn't even know there was a name for it. I don't usually look for labels to fit in. But it's an excuse to write a text about how I view religion.
I was born into a not very practicing Catholic family. My grandmother taught me to pray asking my guardian angel for protection. At some point the guardian angel stopped listening to me and I stopped seeing God as an all-powerful being. My best friend at school was evangelical and gave me a Bible to read. I started to notice differences between the two beliefs when I got to the part where they teach how to pray the “Our Father” (Lord’s prayer).
Since I was a child, I have been interested in mythologies from around the world, and mythologies are basically polytheistic religions.
When I was a teenager, I read a phrase from Buddha (Sidarta Gautama) which, along with the famous “know thyself”, by Socrates, became a guide for my life. When I was at the end of my higher education, I discovered the Buddhist lineage that I have practiced ever since.
In the more recent past, I read some works by Joseph Campbell and this greatly expanded my view of religions and I began to have more respect for the Catholic religion (which I had completely lost before), and for all others.
Therefore, I currently see religion as a tool for personal development. They all have some value, and they are all paths towards the same goal, which is to better understand life and ourselves. And none shows the full path. It is as if they teach us how to walk, and we must, from then on, take our own steps on the road to self-knowledge.
One last curiosity: I was born in a country where, until a few years ago, it was common to hear people saying that politics, religion and football cannot be discussed. Here I am, a communications coach, discussing religion. Discover and hire my services.
Respect copyright.
Nycka Nunes
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