I grew up in a pervasively Christian fundamentalist congregation. Much of my religious education in that context struck me as a type of fantasy more akin to nursery rhymes than to factual material endowed with a significance that impacted my religious beliefs. No questions were allowed, no doubts tolerated.

Now, suddenly, I was aware that at the heart of religion resides not an affirmation of certain propositions, but realities and relationships that impinge on all of life. That brief statement on the part of a professor coupled with my delight in hearing it and quick conclusion that verified a hunch that I had held for a long time—religion is related to reality—strengthened me for a whole new pilgrimage. I found my faith made stronger when I looked at scriptures, oral traditions, rituals, and doctrines from a critical perspective intended not to lessen the influence of religion on my life but to make religion more real, more relevant to everything in my life.

This serendipitous episode years ago, with an importance not recognized by anyone else in the room where it occurred, was a spiritually transformative event for me. Ever since that time, I have loved questions as well as answers and search as well as discovery on my pilgrimage of faith. Even now, in relation to my faith, I want to keep on learning, questioning, and searching. My desire is a mature faith that enhances my ability to deal with diversity, to appreciate religious pluralism, and to learn from those who are different from me.

None of us should attempt to use the government—or any other institution or instrument of force—to impose upon other people policies based on religious beliefs that conflict with their own beliefs.