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Learning tolerance from the inside.

As far back as I can remember, I have had a belief in God. I attribute this to my parents influence, example and teachings. They taught me at a young age to believe in God. I wasn't just taught to believe, but to actually do things because of this belief. Though my parents changed religions three times before I left home, they always tried hard to be a good example of what they were. They also did their best to impress upon me the importance of being actively involved in what ever religion we were. Incidentally all three religions that we became members of, are considered by many to be cults.

As a preschooler I didn't really notice much difference between us and the rest of the world, but I was very sheltered. Our church leaders discouraged my parents against having any undue association with what they termed "the world." So when I started school I was in for a bit of a shock. My parents had tried to prepare me for "the world" but I wasn't old enough to know how cruel it could be.

I will not deal with the name of our religion, but just with some of their beliefs. One point of interest to many is that I was not allowed to celebrate any of the traditional holidays like all the other kids. In school this caused my teachers and other children to make fun of me. At times, out right persecution was their way of dealing with someone like me. When the rest of the class was drawing Santa Clauses, my teachers had to find something else for me to draw. If they were going on an Easter egg hunt they had to make provision for me to do something else. On Valentines Day I was not allowed to give or receive valentines so my teachers would have to explain it to the rest of the class. When the pledge of allegiance was said, I was not allowed to stand and participate. The kids thought I was weird, and my teachers saw me as a problem they wish they didn't have to deal with.

My second grade teacher was extremely hostile toward me and even tried to fluke me in her class, but when I showed up at home with failing grades on my report card my parents went to the school. After some checking in the records it was discovered that I had almost straight A's. The teacher insisted it was just an oversight. I had other similar experiences all through school. I always seemed to be looked upon as a problem or at the least very strange.

I was taught tolerence, and not to resent others for the way they treated me, but instead to be happy for being different.

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