Straight up keepin it real wit Jesus.

At the moment I'm between deities, going through something that most young people go through. I'm not sure exactly what I believe, so I've tossed religion aside. I still pray, because I believe in God. Maybe I'm not exactly sure what kind of God I believe in, so it's hard to make any kind of commitment.

But my spiritual issues aside, these doubts rose up in me years ago. In high school, I truly wanted to leave religion behind. It started when the music changed at high school mass and Christian retreat leaders started using odd tactics to reach us. Looking back, the reason was stupid, but it's something that still bothers me today.

Why do people want their religion to be cool? Why are mostly wise religious leaders who've spent their lives reading and teaching doctrine regressed into MTV VJs? I know I'm not the only one who realizes how this cheapens spirituality.

There are so many definitions of cool that it could easily be twisted into a word you could use about religion, but I'd prefer not to. In my experience, I was cool when anyone with pull in the social world approved of my actions and caused others to feel the same. I was uncool when the opposite occurred. Most of my decisions that synched up with being a good Christian would have been considered uncool--not drinking or smoking at parties, not having sex, not questioning my mother and father... you get the idea. At that stage in your life, it's pretty cool to be bad. I'm not stating an opinion, just the definition I learned through others' actions.

So, do we really want to apply this word to religion? Are our religious leaders so desperate for members that they're selling their god as an eager-to-please, rapping man in the sky? The truth is that most people who strive to do the right thing are pegged as boring, prudish, and even offensive.

Instead of cheapening religion, we should be preparing our youth to deal with the reality of the situation. If you choose to do the right thing, there's a good possibility that many people will laugh at you, ostracize you, or even try and hurt you. Most people in this "out for yourself" society couldn't get on board with that.