I think there is a huge change happening in regards to religion. We younger generations, who have grown up with unlimited access to information—be it through TV, magazines, the internet, travel, blogs…etc—have radically different ideas about religion than, say, our parents.

I was raised by two devout Catholics and was baptized, communed and confirmed. I was toted to church on Sundays. I sat through years and years and years of weekly Catechism classes. I even attended mass several times of my own volition in college. And yet none of these efforts to turn me into a god fearing Catholic stuck with me as much as images and news of death, destruction and pure evil in the name of religion.

With age came the humbling realization that if one religion (mine, for example) deserved respect, then so did they all. Also came the understanding that religion is not about god (or perhaps God, or even gods), but rather morality. At the basis of each of the world’s religions lies the same instruction—be good to people and be good to yourself. The reward for heeding instruction is also the same.

You might disagree, citing a particular religion’s belief in heaven, another’s belief in reincarnation, 72 virgins (or is it raisins ;), ghosts, immortality…etc, but I would say the reward in every religion is a “happy” life, and, to some extent, social acceptance. Living our lives in such a way makes it possible for large groups of people to live together in relative peace. Religion supplies a moral code and appoints each man a part of the jury. Each man concurrently is on trial.

Now, I’m the kind of lass who has always looked forward to marriage, but as I near the socially acceptable age of marriage, I’ve am forced to take a deeper look.

What is marriage? It’s a religious sacrament.

Anthropologist, Helen Fisher, will tell you that marriage (and religion for that matter) is part of evolution. Humans evolved to marry and have children, so that those children would have a higher chance of survival. She actually gives a gripping lecture at http://bit.ly/nKtNk about how love itself is part of this notion.

I find it awful, even as I think it, to reduce such a “beautiful” thing to that, but I also find it logical.

Is it hypocritical to get married if you’re not “religious”? Is it making a promise you don’t fully endorse?