Although I grew up in a somewhat religious household, I never thought to take a step back and reflect on religion from different perspectives. Just in a week’s time of observing from the outside, I have grown more aware of what determines personal religious/spiritual preference. Personal preference could stem out of family traditions and values or even from unexplainable and out of the ordinary life experiences. Similar to Dubner’s story in, “Choosing My Religion”, I was raised to follow one religion, in my case Catholicism, and instead I am beginning to carve my own spiritual path. My beliefs have not been solidified, but I do know that I believe in some form of higher being. Through reading this article and talking with my classmates about their religious backgrounds, I have learned that straining from traditional beliefs is growing more common. Very few people in our class are currently practicing the religion they grew up with and I would like to know why it is not more. Some people are raised to believe in one religion and while they make the choice to stop believing in the higher power, they hold onto the morals that the religion provided. While I find it interesting that some families stray away from religious traditions because of things such as tragedy, I also want to know why people are drawn to specific and new practices. It is interesting that monumental moments in our lives, positive and negative, can determine who and what we look to for guidance, if we look to anyone or anything at all.