Where do you get your personal morals and beliefs from?
“I think what makes me who I am…I’d have to say Jesus Christ. I’ve grown up a Christian, and I’ve had my ups and downs. I started doubting a little bit, a couple of times throughout my life, but overall He always shows that He’s faithful and His love for me just blows my mind every day. So that’s where I get my morals, and every day I strive more to be like Him.”
You said this was from the beginning. Did your parents introduce you to Chrisitianity?
“Yep! I grew up in a Christian home. I was actually born and raised in Guatemala until the age of 8, and then I moved to Colorado, and always had the same faith. My parents would always try to find Spanish-speaking churches.”
Do you ever have someone question your religion or have you explain it?
“Oh, for sure. I think people are always curious to find out about religion, and, as individuals and as human beings, I always feel like people are looking for something a little more, looking for answers. So, I’m always getting questions. People will ask me, like, “So tell me a little bit more about your faith.” That’s kind of a question I do get a lot, questions about my beliefs. The way I try to answer is to tell my personal stories and testimonies that I have from way back in the day or even today.”
And with these beliefs and viewpoints, would you say that people can still believe what they believe and have their own faith?
“Yes! I feel like everyone has their own right, I’m definitely not going to push my religion into yours. I’m just going to do what Jesus did and love others, and try to pass that on. Just loving people. The two greatest commandments are “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your strength,” and the second one is “Love your neighbor as yourself.” So why not go from there?”
-Erick David Perez
Beneath The Crown is a project created by Nick Theisen (‘15). It is inspired by Humans of New York (HONY) and aims to bring the community of Gustavus Adolphus College closer together by providing the perspectives of the many different people who live and work at the school.