Putting my faith in people

I’m not much of a religious person, which is probably not surprising considering my generation. Only about 49% of millennials, according to a Pew Research Center survey in 2020 and 2021, identify as Christian.

I was raised Baptist and, growing up, attended either Baptist or Southern Baptist churches. By the time I was a pre-teen, we had stopped attending church though my mom was—and still is—a believer. When I was in my 20s, I tried to find my religion again. Oddly enough, it was a book called “Under the Overpass: A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America” which secured my transition away from organized religion.

It’s now a running joke in my family that the person who is vocally non-religious is often the one advocating for it in many ways.

For example, when Reverend Arlen Rounds gave his final sermon at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Medicine Bow, I wound up in attendance and wrote an article about it. It was difficult not to be moved by the passion Rounds had for the church and the community, even when it was just two Methodists who were attending his services before the church was temporarily mothballed.

Since the Saratoga Sun has added The Faith Page to its pages, I’ve asked the faith leaders in the Platte Valley if they’ve received feedback on their columns. I want to know if people outside their congregation are finding comfort in their words. The answer, often, is a resounding yes. People who may not be able to get to church or who attend a different church find use and comfort in these columns from other faith leaders.

My mother has said, only slightly jokingly, that it is ironic that someone who is non-religious can find it so easy to write about religion or to advocate for a religious page. Don’t get me wrong, there is a certain beauty in religion. Whether it’s bringing a sense of community and fellowship, providing a path forward or giving some structure. I have no problem—and have had no problem—with religion. It’s just not for me.

When my mother and I have discussions about religion, she has asked what I believe in if I don’t believe in a higher power. The answer is always that I believe in people.

It may seem like the wrong answer, especially when one can look to social media, around the country and around the world to see how terrible people can be to each other. I hope there are more people who are good than those who are not and sometimes it is rewarded. It’s rewarded when, following a plea on social media, all the tags on the annual Giving Tree are picked up within two hours. My hope is rewarded when people are willing to get into a bidding battle at the annual Festival of the Trees knowing the money is going to a good cause. It’s also rewarded when a community will come together to support a person or family in need.

I may not have faith in a higher power, but I have faith in people and I would like to think that’s served me pretty well in life. People are fallible. We stumble along and make mistakes, we reach for the stars and can often fall short. People aren’t perfect but I would like to think that most of us are trying to be better.

That’s enough for me.