Why I Attended a Baptist Church for Extra Points Instead of Studying

Today, most of us in the class attended the birthday party of a Baptist pastor because our Automata teacher told us we would get an additional 10 points on our midterm exams. The mindset of securing those 10 points seemed safer for us than actually studying for the upcoming midterms—whether because we’re lazy or simply not interested in the topic.

What I’ve observed is that our teacher might be subtly trying to recruit students into their religious organization. It feels like they're, "TELL ME YOU'RE RECRUITING, WITHOUT TELLING ME YOU'RE RECRUITING". Only hopeless people like us would go to church just for extra points, and the most desperate might actually join the organization.

Aside from the 10-point incentive, I was curious about how Baptists conduct their Sunday events, and I noticed it’s very different from Roman Catholic services. Both are faithful, but they express their faith in different ways.

Followers like saying "Amen," with most preferring to shout, even though it can be a bit distracting. People probably do it to show intense agreement with the sermon. I even joined in toward the end of the sermon, just to stay awake, to be honest. They’re not much different from Roman Catholics, they treat visitors, members, and pastors (or VIPs) differently, especially when it comes to preparing food.

They seem to compare themselves to other religions, creating narratives that theirs is the only correct way, while others are supposedly invented by evil. They don’t explicitly mention other religions, but the implication is there. It feels like they’re making up stories to convince people that their way is the only path to God and heaven, similar to other Christian denominations—though perhaps not as extreme as some.

Oh, and by the way, they gifted their pastor a new car. Sheesh.

Honestly, I don’t care much about being religious; it just doesn’t make sense to me. I feel a better connection with nature. I told my mom I attended the Baptist service, and she initially thought it was a Roman Catholic mass. When I clarified, she overreacted, reminding me that I was baptized as a Roman Catholic.

I understand the religious ego that often comes with faith, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter to me—I have no intention of being religious. Religious organizations use faith to accumulate followers, competing with each other, but in the end, their illusions will eventually be revealed.