The Loaded Question

Story by: Ella Adler Sacred Spaces Editor

After years of attending Sunday school at the begging of the week and Awanas every Wednesday, I simply thought that religion meant having faith in an invisible God, dressing up on Easter, playing line tag for two hours straight at Sunday school, and singing in the church choir. I never once considered that religion could be different, or even non-existent in some people’s life. While I still hold many of the same beliefs and values that I did when putting on floral dresses and singing hymns, I now have a more rounded grasp on religion and what it truly means.

To Rebecca Hofmeister, a 32-year-old Grand Junction resident, religion can take many forms. 

“Religion is that thing that keeps you going, helps you make sense of the world, and cleanses your soul,” says Hofmeister. She goes on to quote the famous Ziggy Marley, saying that even love can be religion. To Hofmeister, religion is fully and beautifully surrendering yourself to the thing that gives you the most peace. 

Depending on your background, religion can have a more rigid definition. Kenzie Lujan was once a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After leaving this faith, her views on religion have changed.

“I changed my worshiping because I don’t believe that worship is part of religion,” Lujan says. “I think that is part of a cult, but that’s just me.”

Lujan defines religion as a relationship that you have between yourself and a certain power. Her view on the topic has broadened after leaving the church.

After discussions with these Grand Junction residents, I came to a realization. Religion is less about the Sunday school rituals and rigid service times of my childhood. I believe in the same God I did when I attended Church events and sang proudly from the stage; but from where I am standing now, religion has more of a spectrum. 

Religion is less about the church building and the schedule that gets run through every Sunday morning. It’s more about your personal relationship with “something greater.” Religion is a daily practice; it sticks with you all day, providing momentary peace as you drive past an accident. Religion is a constant moral code, nagging you as you explore all the world has to offer. Religion is a binding agent for humans, sticking them together when life gets hard like syrup on the crumbs of pancakes.

It’s individual, sacred, and different for every person.