"Everyone should believe in something; I believe I'll have another drink." -annonymous
This offshoot of my origional page is going to be attributed to atheism. Which is, i might add and you've probably already figured out, my beliefs.
I don't believe in any deities and don't have any religion. Is that bad? I don't think so. I'm not evil (at least not more than anyone else is) and I am not a terrible person because of it........I cannot simply understand why people choose to believe in a god. It's almost the same (in my eyes) as believing in unicorns, ghosts, and fairies.
Atheist Manifesto
Most people believe that their religion is the most important factor in their short lives. God is their life and their afterlife. To most, It is all important. Sometimes I wonder how humans can do such things to themselves. And then I remember how I can do such things to myself.
I am an atheist. For some reason I, at a point in my life, decided I did not believe that there is a god. I think it was the part of me that always wants the pure truth that one day decided to question my religion. I do not believe in unicorns, or ghosts, or fairies. And I do not believe in a god. This does not make my morals any lower than anyone else’s. I simply cannot understand why people choose to believe in something so irrational.
Organized religion has done well in teaching of gods and of moral laws and such. In fact, such teachings have, in some respects, made the human race a fairly noble one. It has taught forgiveness of others, love and hope. Through the emphasis on certain morals, such as not killing or stealing, humans have been conditioned into a certain respect for one another. Such morals, in a sense, have contributed in the civilization of the human race. However, these teachings have also devolved our race. Most people do not think for themselves. Why is it that God, the omniscient and omnipotent being, does not inform everyone that He is here, that He loves them? Why must we go to church to learn what such a powerful being must have the power to tell us each individually? Hate and hypocrisy are spawned from the people who never question what they are taught. Not many ask, "Is there really a god?" Not many wonder if their Bible is really true. What has happened to our society? Where are the thinkers? The philosophers? Has individualistic thinking gone so out of style? I do believe that the world would be a much better place if there were no religions. The great society of humans on this world would be better off without religion. Always question everything! With the loss of their god, anyone could see a change in that person’s view of others. They would develop a sort of humanistic view of their society- their alone, and unprotected society. An adamant Puritan, who believes in the total depravity of man, will have more sympathy for others than the average person. The phrase "all in the same boat" applies here. One keenly feels the suffering of others when one knows their own suffering. But other than the quite damnable situation that makes them generally a little humanistic, atheists are free people. If the race of people we wish to breed were all followers, then by all means, introduce organized religion. However, the bettering of society would come from more leaders. Freedom scares people. I can not say that I do not sometimes doubt that my views on religion makes me free. Freedom comes from the mind. Religion saves us from the freedom of thought that makes us quiver and quake so with fear. Doing whatever is told or expected of one is so much easier than deciding for oneself. Knowledge that one is going to Heaven with God seems a much better dream than becoming worm’s meat. And yet, is it really? Think on the ramifications of a society without religion. Of a society not delusional about thoughts of gods and the afterlife. A society that finds it’s own answers. A society where individuals bathe in freedom. I think that this society might be a little more appealing than one of social conformity.
Perhaps there is some god. Maybe it created a huge ball of matter and then disappeared just as quickly. But where did it come from? And where did that god go? I will never definitely say that there is not a god in the heavens, or that there is no possibility that a god exists. I will always, however, stick to my feeling that there is not one. Maybe the reason so many would like to believe in one is through fear. Fear of death, fear of only one life. And fear of being alone. People are scared of what they do not know. We need a way of explaining everything, and while some turn to science, religion offers a much more speedy explanation. We are such a small, insignificant species. We cannot be alone, we can’t be left to defend ourselves! Where is our mother once she has died and left us? Where is our protection? The unknown is very scary. We all need explanations to abate our fear. Perhaps, through my choosing to disbelieve, I am showing my fear too. My fear of being a small little chess piece of some higher being, of not being my own person, and of not having the freedom of choice that I hold dearest in my life.
I feel I am stronger than I would otherwise be because I have no god to fall back on. I have no one to protect me. When friends, family, and people in general die, I do not think they went to some marvelous place. I had once come to realize a harsh truth (or maybe my own inventive delusion) that I could not do anything of significance because humanity, civilization, the universe will all disappear. Anything that I might do will be forgotten and anything that humanity could do, will all vanish with time. But then I realize that despite all that, I would rather live as I do, and do what makes me happy, than say that my entire being, entire existence, is due to a deity.
But through gods, humans can achieve the vision of eternal life. Sometimes I wish I had that again; the place to go after I die, the reasons I am alive, the Protector who is looking out for me…
and then I consider what I really want. What other reason is there to live than to experience emotion for my own selfish reasons and kill society by reproducing, like the lowest life forms do? To create more humans to live and follow the exact same pattern that I did? Because I have a vision of a utopia where those humans I have the ability to create will not be just humans. They will be people. I want everyone to be able to live as I do. Freely, without any fear of punishment and without anyone else’s rules. To live as real individuals. As people. I think I want to live more than anyone else in the world. I want to live for the love I have finally found. And live for all that I enjoy. I cannot understand using my one and only life for something that is, at best, only halfway real- a god- which does not talk to me, which does not prove it’s existence. A god who is supposed to be perfect and yet gives us this life and asks that we live it for him! A god that asks that we deny some of our very basic instincts in his name. No, I shall never live my one life for anyone else. Especially not anyone else’s imperfect idea of a god. I gave up the thought of Heaven for this life. I will go through it and when I die, I hope I can say that I lived as an immortal. And that even if all of my brain waves stop, and all of my life is totally forgotten by the whole human race, never to be even looked upon…I hope I will die wanting to live longer and experience more. I hope I die thinking that I lived truthfully and in a reality few others have. And I hope I die still remembering my love of the world, love of life, love of my fellow human beings, and most importantly, my love of the person who has taught me that life is worth living.
My Story as I wrote to Adrian Barnett 5/21/98 and is posted on his page;
'i have been raised in a christian family although have never gone to church with them. for a time, i prayed almost every night and had a pretty strong belief in the christian god. as time wore on, however, i started straying from that belief, and never realized it until late one night. suddenly my thoughts had turned to religion and i realized 'i don't believe in god'. i was in shock. in that one sentence i had lost the only protector i had ever and would ever have. and i cried. that was years ago, probably late 6th grade.
junior high was hell for me when it came to religion. all of my friends were religious. i was insecure about myself anyway, apart from believing in something no one else i knew did. i thought i was completely alone. but things turned around as a freshman in high school. i was no longer the insecure person i was before. i still had never told anyone about my lack of belief in deities..........until matt. he was my best friend... well, i told him about my atheism (and i then knew the name for what i was) and our friendship ended there. he couldn't handle it; being friends with someone who was 'going to hell' (i don't know if he ever realized that his favorite retaliation about going to hell held little merit with me since i don't believe there is a hell!)
after that, i stopped being discrete (not a bad thing). i mean, what more could i lose? whenever religion came up, i had no problem speaking my views, i never held the truth about myself from anyone. i felt wonderful. it wasn't all good, though. one sleep-over comes to mind............it was with my closest friends. ashley (who has a big problem with exaggeration and dramatization) was feeling sorry for herself again for 'all that she's been through'(which isn't much at all) and the topic switched to religion. i hadn't known that some of my friends didn't know i was atheist. well, now they did! i got 'it's just a phase', 'you really do believe, you just don't know what religion', 'but if you don't worship God, you're going to hell!'. the worst was 'i pray for you every night to find your way'. that cut it. i couldn't believe that my FRIENDS were saying these things to me! they didn't respect my beliefs like i did theirs. i have never felt the same way towards them since.
i am currently a sophomore in high school. my religion is a past drama now. i feel, like most regardless of their religion, that i am right. i feel that atheism is the most truthful belief. we don't take information for granted and have the ability to create our own morals. what no one who is not atheist is likely to realize, is that atheism, i think, makes one stronger. there is no god to fall back on. when friends, family, and people in general die, you don't think they went to some marvelous place. i do not find any meaning to life, no reason to be here other than experiencing the 'emotion' humans call 'happiness'. and what other reason is there to live than to experience emotion for your own selfish reasons and kill society by reproducing, like the lowest life forms do, more humans to live and follow the exact same pattern that we did? i am not a manic-depressive or anything. but i realize a harsh truth (or maybe my own inventive delusion) that i cannot do anything of significance because humanity, civilization, the universe is unimportant. i am nothing. no one is watching out for me and no one cares about me. atheists are as alone as people can get.
but! atheists are their own people! for this one and only life, we do not follow anyone's rules but our own. i think it's the best way to live and i wouldn't ever, even for the ability to believe in heaven again, be anything but atheist.'
Whew! There was my story. What a depressing person I can be! But hey, it's obviously not all bad.
I welcome friendly debates on religion....But if you are going to e-mail me your preachings, please save your time and mine. I will not be swayed by anyone's shallow beliefs. I don't think I will ever believe in any deities (they are silly). I like who I am and know who I am.
Any Atheists reading my page, e-mail me! I know how lonely (at least for me) this particular belief is. And I love hearing other Atheist's views.
Adrian Barnett (who's site I gave a link to) suggested a plain black ring (like the one at the left) as the symbol for Atheism. And i completely agree! It's perfect- simple and whole.
Want some awesome atheist quotes?? Go to random atheist fortune cookies Or visit a collection of quotes sent to me by a wonderful friend, Amanda (prudence to those of us who know her).
Gene informed me of a great site, www.infidels.com.....the secular site. I highly recommend this site, it's an awesome source of atheist information.
A great laugh that Stuart (an atheist friend of mine) told me about is also listed below on my links......it's a xtian site that has been hacked. Very very funny!
Some may be wondering why I have a Satanic link on my page if I am so devoutly;) Atheist. The answer is that it is a very interesting religion! I researched it for three months and have found it to be a very intriguing set of beliefs. For those who don't know, Satanism is not worship of the Devil. It is actually militant Atheism. It values the individual and self-indulgence. And provides reasons, and even some answers. It is one of the best religions I know of!(athough there are aspects of it that I don't agree with)
If anyone is interested in learning about Atheism or Satanism, two very good links are below. Please go to these sites with an open mind. Everyone's beliefs should be respected.