Is Lauren a "Religious Person"?

 After reading the first few chapters of Parable of the Sower, it seems like Lauren’s character is supposed to be rebelling against traditional Christianity/religion, which she is to a certain extent, but I also feel like she is being a better Christian than many people today who call themselves Christian. In my opinion, part of any religion is a personal connection with the set of beliefs, and finding how your values line up with those outlined by the religion you ultimately choose. For many people, it’s easier to blindly accept the beliefs of the religion they grow up in, and view it as an “insurance policy” to continue belonging to that religion, even if they don’t entirely agree with it. Because no person has ever had infinite knowledge about who God is, we are all just kind of doing our best and living the way we think is right, so everyone’s “god” looks slightly different, even if you don’t believe there is one. This is the main reason so many different religions exist, and part of why people are so passionate about why their god is the real god, and everyone else is wrong. Lauren has the strength and knowledge to realize and admit that her god is different from her father’s god, and because of this, in my opinion she is much more of a religious person than many people today who passively follow a religion. I think to Lauren, God does equal change, and because the story is from her perspective, she has the right to say that, even if the gods belonging to different people may look different.

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