Why I am religious.

People ask me all the time why am I religious.
They instantly assume I'm religious because I've been brainwashed by my parents when I was little.
Well, to tell you the truth, that's wrong.

My parents are agnostic. They have waited until I was 9 when I was more or less able to make a rational decision on which religion to choose. They presented me with facts about every religion, and also atheism.
I have chose Christianity. Why? Because it had the most sense and the least cons than any other religion. I have considered Buddhism too during that time, but it was simply not the way I want to lead my life.

Contrary to popular belief, I have not chose Christianity because I live in misery, I have not chosen it because it's the only thing I know about, I have not chosen it because of the reasons many people choose it.
I have chosen it self-willingly because I like the idea behind it and I like the ideology it represents.
Though I am Christian, I'm not a fundamentalist. I do not take every word in the Bible literally. I read mostly between the lines. Most Christians would not accept me as their own because of this.
But honestly, I don't care. I live for myself, I live my own life.
Though I do not care for the thoughts of others, I still accept other people's beliefs and rationalize if I should integrate them into my own, but mostly this is not the case.

People, even if they have the rationale to prove me something, they still stand behind their opinions it as a child would. They do not keep an open mind.
I am fully aware of all of the ''plot holes'' my religion contains, and I do not avoid talking about them at all. Quite the contrary, actually, I like to talk about them. Because that makes me think. And I like thinking and coming to conclusions.

I like talking to atheists, I have a lot of friends who are atheist, but I usually don't talk to them about it because it just brings up a fight. Most atheists, not saying all atheists, but most atheists begin the conversation with insults and passive-aggressive comments.
I do have one atheist friend who's quite intelligent, and I like to talk with him about religion because he keeps an open mind, just as do I. He isn't arguing to convert me to atheism, and I am not arguing to convert him to Christianity.
It's a mutual debate, on which both sides have the same footing. Neither him or I think of themselves as the smarter representative of a smarter group. We are equal. And we both understand there are stupider, more influential people of power talking for us and putting words in our mouths we did not utter, but are considered our own.
And that's how it should be, which is why I like Christianity. No one is worth more than the other, everyone comes from God, and everyone is a part of him. Everything, to be exact.
Morally and ethically, Christianity is one of, if not the best religion. At least in my opinion. And that is what matters.
I never think of my opinion as fact, unless I have some proof to back it up.
You should too.

-K.