Rabbi Esther Reed, Dr. Traci West, and Dr. Sandy Jones all spoke about Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and how their positions in their respective religions has affected them - not only as women, but also as women in power and religion.
While I am not active in religion, I was raised Roman Catholic - went to church every Sunday with my family, said Grace, nightly prayers, attended CCD classes every week and made all of the sacraments up until Confirmation. A large portion of why I don’t attend church often anymore is because I’m in college, and I didn’t really enjoy going to mass every Sunday: sitting in a pew surrounded by people listening to someone talk about things that happened thousands of years ago never really interested me. But, since I was basically forced by my parents to go, I went with them and sat through it, trying not to fall asleep in the process. Another reason why I am not really into believing in a higher power anymore is because I’ve gone through bouts of severe depression and anxiety - and often found myself asking “If God is supposed to make sure His people are safe and healthy, why am I feeling this way? Why me? What did I do to make Him think I deserved this?” Straying from the religious community has been liberating for me - I don’t have to believe there is a higher power that can condemn me to Heaven or Hell, and I don’t have to rely on faith when something goes wrong - I CREATE my own luck, my own accomplishments, and when something good happens to me, I just call it being in the right place at the right time.
Listening to these three brilliant women speak really made me think about all of the past experiences I have had in my life - religious or otherwise. When I decided to stray from the Church, I thought I would be alienated, estranged from my family, but there was a light that was sparked in me when I listened to our speakers. No matter what religion I choose or not choose to follow, I will always be cared for, always be loved by others, and I will never be alone in my feelings and values. I strongly respect these three women for having so much faith in their religions, and there is nothing more than the feeling of acceptance within a community, that I feel like maybe - many years down the road, if I feel like I am ready and willing - I can rejoin the community to which I was once so attached and belonged.
