I'm An Atheist ... And You Should Be, Too

I am an Atheist. Despite the insistence of more than a few people I am, in fact, not an Agnostic. I strongly assert there is no God. Nor do I believe there is any other unifying mysterious inexplicable force in the Universe that I have to accept solely on faith. I don't believe aliens from beyond the moon have come to Earth probe people's rectums either. Nor do I believe in the Loch Ness Monster, Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, Big Foot, or that there is such a thing as an honest politician.

I am not the sort of person who just says everyone who believes in God is stupid. I don't think that at all. Believing in something that is so very very ingrained in many cultures isn't stupid. When you're taught as a toddler and going forward throughout your childhood that there is a God and all that other stuff--Heaven, Hell, Angels, Demons, etc.--I don't see that you end up with all that much of a choice but to believe. I mean your options are often presented as believe in God or burn in the deep nasty pits of Hell. That's not much of a choice. I can believe what I want but if I don't agree with Mom and Dad or the Church I'm going to be punished, and not just punished for an hour or a day or a week or a month or a year, but for the rest of eternity? I don't think people who believe in God are stupid. It just seems to me like a lot of people weren't given a real choice and have been put in a situation where challenges to their belief system--even if they've pursued a different system--challenges that perhaps the entire premise their previous system and current system are based on (that there is a God) are false are close to impossible to accept or, sometimes, even conceive of. That's not stupidity, it's a kind of brainwashing.

So, if you're still with me, let me introduce you to a few of the arguments brought against Atheism, then I will address them. First, it's arrogant to assume that I could know that God doesn't exist. Second, I can't prove God doesn't exist. Third, Religion brings us laws and morality and without God we wouldn't have these things and the world would be chaos. Fourth, billions of people across the globe believe in God do I really think I know better than them? Fifth, there must be something.

It's arrogant for me to assume I know God doesn't exist. I'm always taken aback by this one. It's a rather personal attack. Yet, it's one of the more frequent arguments. My only response to this question really comes down to "why?" Why is it arrogant for me to look at a subject and point out that the claims made can't be proven, or in this case even tested? I'm not trying to be arrogant, I'm saying due to a lack of evidence sufficient to satisfy me intellectually I do not believe the claim being made. Now you can hand me the Bible and say here is the evidence and tell me about your own spiritual awakening if you like, but anecdotal evidence isn't good enough. Sorry. The Bible's veracity is at best questionable. The life of Jesus is virtually the same story as dozens of other mythological characters throughout western history, including Oedipus, Heracles, Osiris, Theseus, and Odysseus. His story wasn't even written down until at least 40 years after his supposed death and the details of that life are inconsistent with the Historical context they supposedly occurred in. This is aside from that the modern Bible is a translation of a translation of a translation of a book cobbled together from various sources by a council well over a hundred years past the supposed death of the man Christianity is based on. Incidentally, I am picking on Christianity right now. I live in the United States, various forms of Christianity are the dominant religions in my country, and that's usually the people I end up discussing this topic with. I am still confused as to why it is arrogant of me to say that the evidence you are presenting me isn't enough to convince me so I don't believe the same thing as you.

I can't prove God doesn't exist. Oh, Oh how I love this argument. I don't have to prove God doesn't exist. You have to prove God does exist. Otherwise it is perfectly valid to claim that I have frequent debates with the ghost of Elvis Presley in ancient Hebrew. You can't see Elvis because he doesn't want you to see him, and I don't have to prove to you I can speak ancient Hebrew, you have to prove I can't. The burden of proof is always on the person making the claim not the person refuting it. Ah, but I'm making a claim you say. I'm claiming there is no God. Incorrect. I am refuting your claim that there is a God. It's even in the name of the group I identify with: Atheist. Theists believe in a God, Atheist are people who aren't Theists. You are making an assertion and I am disagreeing with you. I don't have to prove you wrong. You must prove yourself right.

Religion brings us laws and morality and without God we wouldn't have these things and the world would be chaos. You have a very poor view of humanity I think. Religion does do a lot to build community and bring people together, but the problem is you have to be part of the group, if you're not than all those good things that are preached in the Church don't necessarily apply to you. That is the tradition Religion encourages, divisive in groups that dehumanize those not in the group. The list of crimes committed by those claiming to act on behalf of God goes all the way back to the dawn of beliefs in pantheons of Gods. Please don't try to argue that those people weren't acting in line with the true nature of the faith. Particularly if we're talking about something like the Inquisition. The Bible supports things like the inquisition. It also supports taking care of those in need. It does both at the same time. It says that doing these terrible things to this group of people is okay, but don't forget about your responsibilities to your neighbors to help them out when they need it. There are good messages in there with all the passages that support slavery, abusing women, and killing people with different beliefs than yours. Morality and laws and being a decent human being is completely independent of believing in God or not. I'm more worried about the people who insist that everything will fall apart if people stop believing in God and that if people aren't afraid of eternal punishment like Hell, then there will be nothing to stop a constant stream of rape and murder. I fear for people around that person should they ever lose their faith. If the only thing stopping you from being a horrible person is that you believe God will punish you, then you have problems.

Billions of people across the globe believe in God do I really think I know better than them. No I think that when you break it down the majority of these people aren't hardcore go to church and pray and make Religion a big part of their lives people. Most of these folks are too busy trying to just keep food on the table and a roof over their heads to really make thinking about whether or not there is a God a priority. They were raised believing there was one and they don't have the time or the need to really worry about if that's the case or not. That's just their default position. It's not about thinking I'm smarter it's having the time and the openness of mind to evaluate beliefs and come to a different conclusion.

There must be something. No, there doesn't. This is usually coupled with that people have a hard time believing that humanity could be top of the heap. The problem with that is it assumes a false hierarchy. Human beings are animals we are just another form of life. We consume to create energy to run our bodies and we reproduce to perpetuate the species just like any other form of life. Sure our social constructs are more complex than what we have observed in other animals. Yes, we have philosophy and art and all that other good stuff, but fundamentally we are not all that different. We're not necessarily better or worse, we're just a bit different. There isn't necessarily a hierarchy where something has to be above us. So, no, there doesn't have to be something. Then people talk about purpose and the meaning of life and all that good stuff. What is wrong with being alive and living and loving and just doing good and experiencing the world around you? Why must your life be part of a greater plan? Why must you have a particular reason for being alive? Isn't being alive enough? Isn't experiencing the wonders of life and the world fantastic enough. People really need to stop looking elsewhere for the beauty and meaning and start looking around, because that's where it is. All around you. The people you love and the people that love you. Baseball, apple pie, bad jokes, barbecues, intellectual challenges, Rock and Roll music, sex and little kids that laugh at everything. That's what it's all about. There doesn't need to be something out there, because anything you could want or need is available here in our modest corporeal realm.

So, I expect if you're a pretty hardcore Religious person you haven't read my whole thing and dismissed me awhile back. Though, if you did sit through my little diatribe, thanks, I appreciate it. You didn't have to, but you did. I don't expect that I will have changed anyone's mind, but this is all stuff I wanted to get out of my head and onto paper (so to speak). I strongly believe what I believe (that there is no God) and I think your joining me here and looking at the world from my point of view wouldn't be so bad. Give it a shot. The world is beautiful place and you don't need God for truth or meaning and you can be a good and satisfied person without believing in God. You can let go. If you don't buy what I have to say, that's fine. You don't have to agree with me (but I'm still right).