I Am an Atheist
By Jeanne
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I stand humbled before the magnificence of the sunset, and the beauty of the starry night sky. I marvel at the mysteries of the rhythms of the earth and wind and sea. I am in awe of the miracle that is the birthing of life. However, I do not delegate the creation of these things to an omniscient, omnipresent, all powerful, all loving, supernatural being. I do not worship this being, nor do I plead its intervention with my daily life or with the world at large. I am without religion; I am an Atheist. I prefer to trust my reason and the reason of those who are more educated than me in the sciences when seeking answers. If an answer is not yet available, it does not follow that the only recourse must be an answer that relies upon the supernatural. No living being can know for certain whether such a being exists or does not exist. To answer that such a being has existed for all eternity and will for all eternity is no answer to the question of creation. If god created us and the universe, who created god? I never received an intelligent answer to that as a child, and never will. A question of where this being was and what it did prior to creation is unanswerable as well. To accept that it always existed or that it came into being from nothing (since in the beginning was god and nothing, so god must have come from nothing) is the same to me as stating that the pin point of original condensed matter has always existed, or that it came from nothing. Matter does not demand worship and sacrifice, nor does it curse supposed sin with eternal damnation. Matter is, and life is, and performing rituals and bowing in supplication to matter makes no more sense than what religion requires from its followers.
I do not think that there is such an entity as a soul. I expect my life to end when my biological/chemical/electrical impulses cease. I expect my body to rot, as the biological entity that it is. I expect to not exist just as I did not exist before I was conceived. I have been offered no proof of an existence after death in some supernatural realm. Ancient writings based on hearsay and borrowed from earlier myths are not proof. I do not believe that Jesus was a historical figure, any more than I believe that Horus, Zeus, or Krishna were historical figures. I believe that they were myths, and their lives were legends fabricated to fulfill prophecy and support the powerful leaders of religions. I do not think that the bible has anything to offer anyone as a guide for living as considerate, loving, socially responsible human beings. I believe that religion has caused chaos among the peoples of the world not only throughout history, but in the present time as well. In my opinion, the most foul of religions is christianity, with its propensity for coerced conversions through torture, killing and deceit. It has been a religion which uses its word to destroy other cultures, to kill all living creatures except the virgins, who were raped. It is a religion that demands that believers leave their families and friends, that non-believers be killed, that women are chattel, that parents kill their willful children, that only blood sacrifices are acceptable to their god, that women are the beginning of evil in the world and pay through painful childbirth, that those who do not adhere to the commandments of their god must be killed, that the prayers of the faithful will be answered, and that an unanswered prayer is either their god's choice based on its wisdom or that the follower is not worthy or faithful enough, that self scourging and self denial are rewarded, and disease can be healed with prayer. The bible and the christian religion sicken me as much as any other religion where its followers become fanatics. All religions are cults.
I am not just an atheist, I am anti-religious. I think that religion is bad, bad, bad for the individual and for our world. I do not think there will be peace on earth until all religions have been wiped out. Most atheists do not take such a radical view and allow that religion can offer good to humankind and solace to individuals. I believe that these attributes could be found naturally in societies which would live in peace by allowing all to live as they choose. I think that those who live such that they bring disharmony to the community would soon be eliminated by shunning or forced change. It is the desire for harmony which would rule the morality of communities. Harmony for the community means allowing a harmonious life for the individual. This can only yield true morality. The arrogance of christianity denies morality to those who do not follow the word of their god. There is nothing moral about christianity or the bible. The only morality comes from true acceptance of our human condition, and our desire to live in peace with our fellow humans. This is what forms the Golden Rule, which existed in societies long before a supposed Christ walked the earth.
February 03, 2002
