When I was young, Mum took my brothers and me to church every time the doors were open – Sunday school, morning worship, evening services, Wednesday night Bible class, Vacation Bible School, and when we were really little, Ladies Bible class. I thought it was normal.

More than any particular pastor or teacher, my imagination swirled with the adventures of Abraham and Isaac (how could his daddy do that?), Jacob and Esau (I could relate to sibling rivalry), Zacchaeus (I loved climbing trees), Moses and Pharaoh (lots of action here), and all the rest.

It seems those born a decade after me have little to no knowledge of these biblical figures. Generation X, Y and Z may know more Greek and Roman mythology – dead religions – than the stories in the Bible, and that is a pity.

Mystery and murder, love and betrayal, feast and famine, happy endings and tales of depravity are in the Old and New Testaments. And regardless if one believes the Bible is fiction, the stories still contain morals to live by, warnings to heed, and inspiration to create a heaven here on earth.

Many claim religions are at fault for starting wars. But I see greed for resources as the cause for war, not God. Those detractors fail to see how the movements inspired by Father Hidalgo in Mexico, Mahatma Gandhi in India, or Martin Luther King Jr. in the United States effected change for the better.

These heroes were inspired by religious text, and I am inspired by them!