Religion and her relationship

Shelle Edit: Genevieve's personal blog is a plethora of information.  She talks about so many things and is involved in so much, it's a crazy ride through Neptune Blue.  So go check her out.  I love this post she wrote for us and can't wait to see what you guys (commenters) have to say!  Thanks Genevieve for taking on such a difficult topic with such grace!

"Can I get a Jesus around here somewhere?" is a question my husband recently asked me. I looked at him curiously and he said, while pointing at pictures and little statues around our house, "There's a Buddha, there's a Buddha, a Krishna, a Krishna, I'm just looking for some representation from my man."

I went over to the credenza in the living room and took out a gold cross with the crucified Jesus on it and gave it to him. It had been laying on a shelf next to the American flag that was folded and presented to me at my Dad's funeral. I also reminded him that hanging on a picture of my Mom in our dining room were a couple funeral cards with Jesus' picture and a rosary with the crucified Christ on the end of it.

You could say that many religions are represented in our home, however, we do not practice any of them. My husband was really just being cute in his request. If he had a personal relationship with Jesus, it would be in his heart, and he'd have no need to display any particular item of belief. He does have a Bible and has read it many times, but quite frankly, he keeps it in the bathroom. What can I say, that's where he reads. If you were to ask him though, he would probably tell you that while the many things he's read on Jesus from the Bible and other sources are quite interesting, he is currently an Agnostic. He doesn't reject different possibilities, he's just not sure at this point in his life. He says if going to a heaven or hell after death or having to deal with a judgement is what happens, he wants no part of it. I'm sure he thinks my bitching and nagging in the here and now is torture enough and is just looking forward to a long quiet REST.

Growing up, he was raised Catholic, but left the church probably by his college years. His parents haven't practiced for some time either. Actually, I think his mother was the one who originally told Satan where to go and how to get there and he's a bit afraid of her to this day. She put the 'ick' in wicked. ;-)

My mother was a practicing Catholic most all of her life but she kept many of her beliefs to herself. I was baptized but not given any instruction after that. I was told if I wanted to learn about her church, or any other, one of my parents would take me, but I wasn't forced to believe what they did. I never became interested in the Bible. I've tried on numerous occasions to read it, or parts of it, and it simply does not speak to me. However, at some point in my adult life I did take an interest in Eastern religions and philosophies and am still quite into reading about those things.

As for our children, we have not raised them in any particular faith either. They are free to follow whatever path they choose with regard to their own spirituality. Like my parents, neither my husband or I feel we should be in charge of that. And both of us are uninterested in attending regular services at any one place of worship. We've been to Catholic masses and other services, we've hung out at Hare Krishna functions, we've stood for our neice as Godparents, and stood for others as BM/MoH for their weddings. In our home are Bibles, Bhagavad Gitas, Buddhist writings, and countless other books and magazines on everything from Harry Potter to poetry. We're very laid back and open-minded about alot of things. Religion included. And our children have grown into very kind, loving and tolerant young adults. So, in our opinion, it's working for us. To each his own though.

One subject the hubs and I do disagree on is astrology. Even though it's not a 'religion', I feel it does speak of things we're to experience while we're here, the birth chart being a sort of 'map' of one's life. What traits or skills we've come here with, how easy or hard it is for us to navigate different areas of life, etc. I've been involved in casual study for over 15 years. I don't do it professionally but have all the basic knowledge about signs, planets, birth charts, etc. When Mercury goes retrograde and I make a comment, his eyes roll right to the back of his head. When I start talking about someone's personality traits, his fingers go in his ears and I hear... la la la la la la. LOL He is absolutely not interested. But I'm cool with that. We don't fight about it. We don't discuss it much. I belong to a group but always go to those functions by myself. He will happily attend a Hindu festival (eh, maybe for the food??) but will never accompany me to a lecture on astrology. We respect that we each have different opinions on that subject and leave it alone.

What about you guys?  What kind of influence does religion have on your relationship AND your home?