Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Abby Weitkamp
Mathew Garcia
Pre-AP English
16 February 2017
At what point do we differentiate science and religion? This was the question I found
myself debating in sixth grade. When I was in the sixth grade, one of the units in science was all
about space. This intergalactic system full of planets, stars, and moons soon became a driving
force behind changes to what I believe in. The irony of it was that a place with no gravity
grounded me. It was in Ms. Zaytouns very classroom that I made one of the biggest decisions in
a persons life. A decision that will forever affect how I am viewed. The decision to believe in
As a young girl, I grew up around people who believed that God is real. That there was
one man. A single man. Just one man that created night and day, the Earth and the heavens, the
sun and the moon, and everything else that encompasses a person. My family went to church
every Sunday. My sister and I attended weekly youth group sessions outside of the holy Sunday
morning. I was even baptized at that church. The rest of my extended family, especially on my
Moms side, were firm believers in all things holy. When I was a child, all of the religious events
were simply intriguing and exciting ways to have fun. I did not understand the meaning of all of
my activities. Until our move to North Carolina in 2007 when I was just shy of 6 years old and
When my family first made the move to the Tar Heel State, we did not have a church that
we regularly attended, nor did we have any local family to help us get settled. I was no longer
immersed in everything that is God. During our first trip back to Missouri, my
great-grandmother was very sick. She had malignant melanoma which is the most aggressive and
life-threatening type of melanoma. The last time I saw her, she gave me a handmade quilted
blanket before going to bed. On December 12, 2007, my parents were driving us away from a
birthday party of a family friend at Chuck-E-Cheese when they were told of the dreadful news. I
was sitting in the very back of the van, nudged up against the side in order to feel all the heat
from the vans heating system. Grandma Giltner had died in her sleep. My sisters Libby and
Reilly were too young to understand. At the ripe age of 6, I understood enough to ask
Why?
silently to myself.
While these thoughts plagued my heart and soul, I eventually began to believe that
Grandma Giltner died for a reason. She did not die simply because God was being mean
because, as I was constantly told, God had better things in store for her. However, my questions
that were answered with false reassurances persisted as I grew older. Soon I questioned
everything bad that happened in my life and why God would allow it to happen. It was not until
the third quarter of sixth grade that I was introduced to the idea of science instead religion.
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My sixth grade science classroom was extremely organized. There were six rows of black
tables with two textbooks stacked in the center of each. Resting behind each table lay two chairs
with tennis ball covered legs in order to prevent all of the grating squeaks, moans, and groans
made as the chairs moved across the floor when ushered by students. Upon entering the
classroom for the first time, I was immediately enthralled by all of the colors coming from the
posters placed on every available space. Each tan cabinet was covered in a bright poster that was
either inspirational or related to one of the units that would be covered throughout the year. One
unit that must be covered in the sixth grade science curriculum is all about outer space.
Now, while this might contradict some of your beliefs, I am in no way telling you what
to believe. Ms. Zaytoun had said on the first day of the unit. I am only teaching what you need
These words caught my attention and soon I was magnetized by the idea that there were
other beliefs out there that did not revolve around God. After all, according to science, the Earth
was not created by God. It was created by a collision within the solar nebula.
For me, it meant that there was no longer one being that was in control of my entire life. I
like to be in control of my thoughts, attitudes, and actions. This control gave me freedom.
However, it was not until later on, circa the eighth grade, that I truly began to express my beliefs.
My beliefs, or lack thereof, were not always received in a positive manner. One afternoon, I was
returning to the eighth grade track one commons area with a group of peers that I did not
consider close friends. There was an offhand comment made about another student that did not
I dont believe in God. I had simply stated as if I was speaking of the dreary weather.
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Their reactions were astonishing. They simply could not wrap their precious, angelic
Did you just say that you dont believe in God? one peer had asked me as if I had just
told her that the delicious Red Baron pizzas served for lunch every Tuesday would no longer be
available.
I just do not believe that one being controls my life and everything around me. I make
They all exchanged wary, restrained glances as if not sure what else to say to me.
Thankfully, the bell was about to ring so the awkward tension that currently lay over our heads
would soon be buried underneath the trivial, everyday problems in the life of an eighth grader.
This relief was accompanied by the realization that while not everyone will agree with
me, letting people know that I do not believe in God is not a bad thing. People should not judge
me over what I believe in if I do not judge them. Not believing in God or a higher power is
nothing to be ashamed of and this is something I will live by for the rest of my life.