Imagine being a person who doesn’t have a religion, innocently tagging along with a group of your friends who go to a Christian church, just to experience the religion you don’t have the patience for. Now imagine glancing over to your left as the entire church starts singing heartily to a song about Jesus, and seeing a man with arms outstretched to the ceiling, his right foot stomping into the floor, lyrics of worship flowing almost violently from his quickly moving lips.

Wouldn’t you feel just a tad perturbed by that? I certainly would… or did, because this actually happened to me this past Sunday.

Religion is a touchy concept for me. Not because I’m ashamed I don’t have one, but rather because every time a conversation starts and I say that I’m Agnostic, every Christian, Muslim, or Buddhist in the group looks at me with confusion.

“What does that mean?” They ask curiously, not intending to come off as impolite.

And so it begins, the rushed and cautious explanation of what Agnosticism is and what I truly believe in as a higher power. Agnosticism, as it is said in the very official Google definition, is the belief that nothing is known to prove or disprove “God”. Apparently, that strictly means the Christian or Catholic God; in other words, not Allah, Buddha, or any other of the many revered gods out there. However, my version of Agnosticism includes every god possible. I’m not a fan of exclusion, after all.

Once I explain what my belief is, there are usually a few more questions that follow, one of my favorites being, “Then what higher power do you believe in?” This one’s my favorite because it’s such a difficult question to answer without sounding like a complete and utter sinner in the eyes of these God-loving people I have in front of me. What am I supposed to say? It’s such a difficult question because in our society, everything requires a label. Christian, Jewish, spiritual, Atheist, Buddhist, the list goes on and on; but, I don’t fit into any of these labels. I personally see religion as something that is not necessary to live one’s life. Yes, some people need a savior to look up to, love and be loved by as they go through life, but I don’t need one. I prefer living my life enjoying the pleasures in life like food, sleep and education. Also, time is an essential aspect of life that I feel is best spent on loving yourself and others rather than on an intangible, all powerful person in the sky.

Time is also an important aspect when talking about religion because most religions require a certain level of devotion and faith that I’m impressed people can nurture. Religious people take time out of their days to show their devotion to their gods, which is something I find so inspiring yet strange at the same time. Think of it from my point of view.

Imagine being an Agnostic who doesn’t believe that there is such a thing as a higher power; believing in only the life they are living and nothing else. Then imagine seeing a believer of God practically screaming his devotion to the heavens above. Wouldn’t that be mildly terrifying?