Are You There God It's Me Margaret: Religion Essay
...garet never thought it mattered which religion she identified with because she felt very connected to God through her regular communication and prayers asking for God’s support. When her new schoolmates question whether she will join the Y or the Jewish Community Center, Margaret does not have an answer and feels left out that she can not identify her own religion like the other girls. Margaret’s desire to belong sets her off on a journey with her Jewish grandmother and her Christian friend, Nancy, to experience worship at both a synagogue and a church where she becomes even more confused when she feels that God is not present in either of these places. Margaret gets even more upset and torn about religion when her grandparents from both sides of her family try to force her to choose their religion resulting in fights between her parents who don’t think she needs to choose at all. All of this anger and pressure from her friends and family force Margaret to give up on God completely so that she does not have to deal with the situation. She realizes that what she misses is her relationship with God and when her long awaited period finally comes, Margaret reconnects with God and finally understands that it is this belief that matters and not the religion. I can relate to Margaret’s family situation as I have one set of grandparents who are Jewish and another set that are Christian. Although I am being raised in the Jewish faith, our family celebrates the Jewish holidays as well as the Christian holidays. On the Jewish holidays, such as the Jewish New Year, Hanukah and Passover, we join with my mother’s parents and her sibling’s families to practice the traditions associated with these Jewish holidays. On Christmas and Easter, I usually go over my father’s parent’s house to share these holidays with my grandparents and cousins. Unlike Margaret, my parents and grandparents all get along and are happy that I experience both religions. I also do not f...