Growing Up in the Church

I was raised in a Christian family. The four of us would go to church every single Sunday and growing up, I definitely thought I had all the answers. I have no regrets about my childhood and I am so grateful for my parents and my family, but my sister and I often talk about how growing up in the Church effected our view of the world. We were both pretty sheltered, and so public high school was a pretty rude awakening. It took a while for me to be able to separate bad people from bad habits or decisions. I must have memorized a thousand Bible verses as a kid, but I have learned so much about myself and about faith just over the past few years. Getting out into the real world taught me more than church and Sunday school ever did. Fortunately, my parents also taught my sister and I to think for ourselves. I have kept my faith and I still definitely believe in God, but there are certain things that I disagree with. Questioning and learning not to just take in information but to actually come to my own conclusions has been the best thing I've ever learned. I think sometimes Church can be too sheltering of an environment for kids, and they go to jr. high and high school unprepared for the obstacles they will face. I think that religious practices should provide children with the beliefs of that particular religion, but also encourage children to think for themselves and learn about various religions so they can come to their own conclusions.