Some recent thoughts on religion
It has been coming up a lot in discussion these days, g/God and religion. I usually don't do a whole lot of writing on that particular subject because, frankly, it's exhausting and usually pointless. Still, someone said something the other day that reminded me of the general school of thought that the "godless" are without morals, values and a sense of responsibility and I was compelled to reply...
My belief that there is no omnipotent, all-powerful, all-knowing god directing life as we know it has nothing to do with my dislike of rules or boundaries or because religion made life more "difficult" to live.
I do not believe in god, God or any variation thereof because it is not real to me, because no one has offered me any single good argument that comes even close to proving that this entity exists, because other reasons explain away that which others use God to explain.
The idea that atheists and other disbelieving-types don't believe because it's easier is not only offensive, but just plain wrong. As a matter of fact, for me, it was easier when I could use "It's a sin" as a way to govern my behavior, my thoughts, my values. It allowed me to pin responsibility on something bigger than myself.
I am not an amoral person. I believe in being good to my fellow man. I value such things as honesty, honor, loyalty, compassion, empathy. And honestly, when I look at all of the war that has been wrought in the name of religion and God, when I look at all of these crazy, fundamentalist zealots who think it's ok to murder abortion doctors and homosexuals, I am disgusted at the idea that they can absolve themselves of any and all responsibility by claiming they were doing it in the name of God...
Being an atheist is not the easy way out. It isn't the lazy man's choice for life. It isn't apathetic. I can see how it would be easy to believe that, but it simply isn't accurate.
My belief that there is no omnipotent, all-powerful, all-knowing god directing life as we know it has nothing to do with my dislike of rules or boundaries or because religion made life more "difficult" to live.
I do not believe in god, God or any variation thereof because it is not real to me, because no one has offered me any single good argument that comes even close to proving that this entity exists, because other reasons explain away that which others use God to explain.
The idea that atheists and other disbelieving-types don't believe because it's easier is not only offensive, but just plain wrong. As a matter of fact, for me, it was easier when I could use "It's a sin" as a way to govern my behavior, my thoughts, my values. It allowed me to pin responsibility on something bigger than myself.
I am not an amoral person. I believe in being good to my fellow man. I value such things as honesty, honor, loyalty, compassion, empathy. And honestly, when I look at all of the war that has been wrought in the name of religion and God, when I look at all of these crazy, fundamentalist zealots who think it's ok to murder abortion doctors and homosexuals, I am disgusted at the idea that they can absolve themselves of any and all responsibility by claiming they were doing it in the name of God...
Being an atheist is not the easy way out. It isn't the lazy man's choice for life. It isn't apathetic. I can see how it would be easy to believe that, but it simply isn't accurate.