My Religion Or My God?

It's always heated up when we start talking about religion. It's one most controversial topic, and also very sensitive. We can hurt each other using the wrong word. Being a Catholic, who have hundreds of different types of Christians against us, sometimes it puts me in an awkward position. Especially when I come across criticism about what they claim about my religion being wrong and man made. In other words, Catholic is not a religion based on Bible. For someone who has been attending church since a kid, what do I feel when I get things thrown at me, blaming my religion for being Irrelevant? 

While they are busy about the word Allah; should the Christians use it or not, No, I'm not worried about that. Even if they take away the word Allah from our publications, how much harm can it do to Our Faith? That's the thing. It's the faith, people. It's what's inside your heart.Don't worry about stuff that doesn't matter. God is God no matter what you call Him. He remains the same. The issue about, whether or not my Baptism as a Christian is valid - is much much more bothersome to me. Especially when the person who highlighted this to me is someone so dear to me. Of course I'm somewhat offended. But really, I WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH. 

As the sign that someone is baptized by the Holy Spirit is that, they can begin to speak in tongues. It's the spirit language that you can speak, without you yourself understanding the meaning. According to the Bible, it's a language of soul that your soul speaks to God when your conscious body and language knowledge cannot cover every words you want to say to God. It's amazing, isn't it? The thing is, I don't have that gift. I've been reading a few verses mentioning about speaking in tongues, and one of them does mention that it's A MUST for someone to have this ability as a sign that she/he has been baptized  by the Holy Spirit. So? For someone who has been baptised since a kid, now you want to tell me that my relationship with God and the Holy Spirit is NULL and VOID?

He can speak in tongues immediately after the event of baptism by the Holy Spirit, and being a Christian not even 2 years, then again, look at me. So do you mean to say that everything that I'm doing all this time is just Not Valid? There's just too many to explain. Now, I just get clearer why my religion receives all this criticism, and why there are protestants in the first place. But then, I believe that my religion does have reasons doing what they do. I don't want to elaborate more on this. I might tell bit by bit when there's a related topic. All I can say is that, even if I find imperfection with my religion, I still know one thing for sure is that - I am praying to God. I'm not praying to my religion. If they claim that Bible is the Word of God, then did the Bible speak about having a certain religion? I believe that God said about following Him and coming to Him during times of needs. Not even one time that God asks human to start forming religions and only through religions that we can come to Him. I can say my prayer right after this and I will be speaking to God directly, using whatever way that I know. How do I know this? BECAUSE I BELIEVE. 

It's the FAITH in Him that makes the difference. We can speak about our religions and how magnificent we think it is, but at the end of the day, it's still about what YOU DO when you are living your life outside the church. It's still whether you lead a righteous kind of life, do you translate love into charity and stuff like that. A religion can only be so good in telling others what is right and wrong, but if you don't practice what is right, no religion can help you. ONLY GOD CAN. And so much about the religion, if you don't BELIEVE that He has power in your life, He still cannot make your body His temple, and He cannot be your instrument to spread the good news. What's the point?

Like what I read from somewhere. Bible is not talking about religion. It's talking about Love. Maybe it's one "religion" that everyone should speak. So rather than arguing which religion is true, and not, lets look at ourselves and how equip we are as a righteous person in God's eyes. Nevermind about the show and ritual that are getting worldly credit. Maybe I don't have a proper Baptism in other people's interpretation, but because of my Faith, there's no way anything can be a gap between me and God.

Lets not get distracted from the real deal, people. If this turns into feud and start to hurt people by questioning the validity of their religion, that's already handing jobs to Mr Devil to take advantage of us. Don't let him. How can this be the reason of our disunity?

My Religion or My God? Of course it is My God. May He help us people to sort out our differences and realize that He's the ultimate truth that we should put our hearts and minds to follow His way of life. Thanks God :))