Spiritual Confession

Religion, is one of bunch of very personal issue which I think it shouldn't be asked by any reason. I don't know why, in Indonesia, we have to provide the information whenever you fill any official forms, like : application letter, ID card, etc...which I think it doesn't have any logical reason to put such information or could anyone figure out what the purpose is?

I feel so lucky to be born in a liberal family, my parents never persuade us to do anything by their own ambitions...Religion was never been talked in my house...As a kid, I didn't have any particular religious experience or should I say I never known what is religion before my parents enrolled me to the Catholic school. What I understood in my childhood, all were just traditions...I never have a strong root referring to religious stuffs [ even though my parents practice confucianism ]. Being a full-of-curiosity kid, I've learnt about Buddhism for a short period. It was started very simple, I was persuaded by a friend to go the temple to learn Mandarin [ oh yea...I love learning foreign language ] and by the chance the missionaries started teaching Buddhism during the Mandarin class. That's the first time I learn about particular religion, I was 10 that time.

Since I was facilitated to study in a Catholic school since primary, I get used with all the Catholic values - which I later be baptized with a given name which I still carry until today. I used to be very active in the church - was an Altar Boy, an Choir Boy and Legio Mariae. These past few years, after a series of social conflicts that happened both in the country [ Poso, Palu, Situbondo, ... ] and other countries [ Gaza, Bosnia, ... ]. I then questioned myself, if religions teach us all the good things, then why people still kill each others in the name of their own GOD? Why 2 lovers who are madly in love have to split up because they both have different religion or why should one of them has to convert his/her religion to follow the partner's just because they want to tie the knot in a marriage? Religion is very personal, isn't it? Then why people turn it to be like a commodity which you can buy or exchange for certain reason? I can not understand and I think I never will...

These day, I try to see religion in different facet and I live on my own value of spiritual...I may stop going to church, but still, I believe in GOD in whatever manifestation. I try to take off the attribute of particular religion but I never disagree with all the good values that taught in all religions...I'm going to be like a sponge, to absorb all the good values in religions...

I hope someday, all man kind in the world will live in harmony regardless all the differences...put down own ego and see the world from the point of others. May peace be on the world. Namaste...