The Lord Is Not My Friggin Shepard

I really don't have anything against religion.

Well, more specifically, I don't have anything against religion as long as it doesn't interfere with the impersonal way our world works. People can follow whatever religion they want, as far as I'm concerned, as long as they don't impose things on others. It's just not fair.

I personally don't believe in any religion, but I'm constantly being subjected to doing religious shit against my will. In primary school we had a school prayer, which was a Christian thing, when about 80% of the school was Asian, most of them extremely devout Indian Hindus. They told us we were being disrespectful to God by not saying the prayer, but I don't frigging believe in God! I don't have any problem with people believing in God and I don't impose my irreligious beliefs onto them, so why do they do it to me?

And now, the girl's choir have to sing this song from the Vicar of Dibley called 'The Lord Is My Shepard', which is basically one of the psalms set to extremely tedious music. Religious music should be made illegal in public schools - we should not have to sing all this stuff, it's not respecting our own personal beliefs. I don't want to sing about a religion that is, as far as I'm concerned, misogynistic and narrow-minded, but if other people want to sing it, then go ahead. Just don't get me involved.

I was complaining about this to one of my teachers when she said that I was being disrespectful for refusing to sing the song, which was is totally not fair. I never said anything bad about the song and I don't try to prevent other people from singing it, yet they're forcing me to sing it. Its them that's being disrespectful to me, not the other way around. How can they force me to sing when I don't believe? I go to a public school for a reason, yet religion is always imposing itself on me, and I'm sick of it.

I've learned to live peacefully alongside people of all races and religions. Sure, we have disagreements and debates, but we rub along as comfortably as possible. But I'm sick of trying to be converted by this and that, left right and centre. I can't stand not being in control of my life, which is why I'm against religion in the first place.

I am old enough to make my own decisions. I'm an atheist, and a feminist, and I'm proud of it. So don't try and make me into something I'm not.