My First Confirmation Essay

I went to a Catholic K-8 school from the age six through fourteen. The whole time I was there, religion was taught to me. As I matured, however, I realized it was being forced on me. I am an Episcopalian and in the seventh grade it is expected to begin the Confirmation process. By that age I had developed a distaste for religion of all sorts. I thought it was all myth, based in nothing and only thought up of because people were too afraid to take blame for their actions and needed something else to latch onto. My father was adamant though, and I succumbed to attending the Confirmation classes after Sunday service. My parents had told me I only had to go to a few and if I didn’t like it I could stop, but I had to at least try. As you may be unfamiliar with Episcopal belief, I’ll try to do a brief overview for you. It is a Christian faith that believes in God and Jesus and Mary and the usual things you would expect from a Christian faith, but Episcopalians are less strict than more traditional faiths. We have female priests, priests are allowed to marry and have children, and the Bible is taken less literally. Again, we believe in its stories, but we also try to have a more open mind about their meanings and teachings, and bring a more modern mindset to the study of its teachings. My first confirmation

I began at this time to revere religion rather than resent it. I started going to weekly youth group meetings where I met kids my age who shared my beliefs and wanted to talk about it as well as have a really, really good time. I also met Mike Stafford, the youth minister at my parish, who has already impacted me profoundly. I started to pay attention during church. I signed up to become an altar server, and have recently signed up to be an usher and reader as well. I went on my first mission trip this summer to Marvell, Arkansas. I attend services weekly and carry my faith everywhere I