Religion can be a very sensitive subject that some people don’t like to talk about; however, I believe that if you are going to talk about it then you need to be educated or open to the religion that is being discussed.

Being from the South, I know that Christianity is the largest religious group, and that can be broken down further into different denominations. For example, there are more than 2,100 Baptist churches in South Carolina but only 134 Catholic churches.

The Diocese of Charleston states that only 10% of our population is Catholic.

Growing up as a Catholic, I was never questioned about my faith, partially because I attended a private Catholic school for eight years.

It wasn’t until starting a public school that my Christian values and chosen denomination started being questioned.

People asked me a variety of questions, but among the most common were “Are you even a Christian because I heard that you are Catholic?” and “Don’t you worship Mary?”

(The answers to those questions, in case you’re wondering, are “Yes” and “No.”)

I am more than happy to discuss and share my faith with anyone who asks, but I do not want to feel judged while being asked.

People make remarks about my faith often. Sometimes it’s to my face, and sometimes it’s through other people, but no matter how those criticisms are given to me, they can sting because they are untrue.

My parents have always supported discussing and learning about other belief systems and have even offered to take me to other churches if I wanted to. I wish other people were as open-minded as they are.

When visiting my family in Kentucky over the summer, I went to a Protestant church with my cousin and the preacher knew that we were visiting and Catholic.

During his sermon, he made it a point to discuss Catholics as a whole and painted a false narrative regarding our love for Mary and repentance.

I left church that day not knowing what the scripture was but only that he had it all wrong.

I am Catholic, and that makes me a Christian, and my beliefs are very similar, if not identical, to the beliefs of many who would choose to question or judge me.

I feel that everyone should be open to others’ beliefs and resist judgment. We live in a country that allows freedom of religion, and we should respect what others believe, even, or especially, when we don’t have all of the information.