"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion."
That is the amazing part of being an atheist, I can look at evidence and not feel the need to justify things in my religion. I don't need to accept things on blind faith, I can look at facts and truly know what I believe in is true. Science has only been around a short time in comparison to religion, but in that time we have explored other planets, seen the far edges of our galaxy, found cures to "incurable" diseases. We have made microscopes than can see unimaginably small things and telescopes that can see further than thought possible 50 years ago. However of all the things learned by science the most interesting thing to me is that, as Neil deGrasse Tyson stated, "the very molecules that make up your body, the atoms that construct the molecules, are traceable to the crucibles that were once the centers of high mass stars that exploded their chemically rich guts into the galaxy, enriching pristine gas clouds with the chemistry of life. So that we are all connected to each other biologically, to the earth chemically and to the rest of the universe atomically." Or as Carl Sagan poetically put it, "The cosmos is also within us, we're made of star stuff. We are a way for cosmos to know it's self." You don't need religion to be inspired, you need only to have a basic understanding of the universe and a clear night too look at the stars.
After hearing that you don't believe in god many people ask, "so where do you go when you die?" or "when you die do you go into just nothingness for ever? Mark Twain said it best when he stated, "I do not fear death, in view of the fact that I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it." I couldn't say it better if I tried. The great thing about this revelation is when you realize this is the only life you have you appreciate it more, you don't take things for granted as often. I saw a quote a while back that said, "I would love to believe that when I die I will live again, that some thinking, feeling, remembering part of me will continue. But much as I want to believe that, and despite the ancient and worldwide cultural traditions that assert an afterlife, I know of nothing to suggest that it is more than wishful thinking. The world is so exquisite with so much love and moral depth, that there is no reason to deceive ourselves with pretty stories for which there's little good evidence. Far better it seems to me, in our vulnerability, is to look death in the eye and to be grateful every day for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides." One of the things that bothered me when I was christian is the concept of eternity, and the question "What about after that?" When I would listen to people talk about what you do for eternity I would always ask "What about after that?" No matter what you do you will have infinite time and not an infinite amount of things to do. So where is the joy in doing the same thing for eternity? I think this life holds more joy and entertainment then an eternal life, if only because you have more things to do than time you have. That is one of the many beauties of life to me.
One of the problems with Atheism is that people think you have no morals if you have no god. How would you know right from wrong if a Devinne source didn't guide us? Morality is not exclusively religious. Atheists simply decide what we think is right and wrong based on our experiences, and in that way our convictions are often stronger than those of religious people. We have thought about WHY we do or don't do things, we don't just follow what we are told because that's what we were told? Why is drinking coffee, tea, or having a glass of wine with dinner morally wrong? Why cant two people in a steady relationship express their love for one another physically? We don't need religion to tell us not to hurt other people, or to treat other people with kindness. There are many Atheist organizations that help their community by feeding the homeless, fixing peoples houses or even just picking up a stretch of highway. They don't do it for some eternal reward, they do it because it is the right thing to do. The point of this is not to attack religious people, the point is to show that just because someone doesn't believe in god doesn't make them a lesser person or something to be scared of. Christians in America often accuse Atheists of wanting to destroy the faith of others. Atheists don't care what you do in your home, or in your churches, we just don't like being forced to participate in other people's religious beliefs. We've had the 10 commandments put in our courthouses, "In God we trust" put on our money, The saying "under god" was added to the pledge of allegiance in 1954. We have our tax money going to christian organizations and yet the churches them selves pay no taxes. We are forced to teach religious doctrine in our science classes and our rights are often trampled by religious groups. We simply ask for the same religious tolerances that religions ask for everyday. This last September the pope claimed that Atheists are responsible for the Holocaust and for the rise of Nazi Germany. He suggested that because the Germans were trying to take god out of their country the country became lost. Now this sounds great as a sound bite and it portrays Atheists as evil, but then the facts show that Hitler was a devout Roman Catholic, The catholic leader of Germany said it was "Devinne Providence" that Hitler was saved from an assassination attempt and after Germany was invaded the catholic church helped sneak high ranking Nazi's out of Germany. In short Atheist don't attack Religious people, we share facts and scientific finds. Atheists are one of the most discriminated against groups in the world. I was kicked out of a house and asked not to come back after I shared my religious views, I have also been physically threatened for being an Atheist, I believe the exact phrase was, "I should punch you in the face, my pastor would be proud of me if I punched out an Atheist."
I don't believe that religious people are lying when they say they believe in their religion. I think that most of the time people honestly believe in their church, but as John F Kennedy said, "The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie, deliberate, contrived and dishonest, but the myth, persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. Belief in myths allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." After Reading the Book of Mormon, the Bible and the Qur'an I couldn't find truth. I read Christian books, Mormon books, Buddhist books and the opposing view points to those books. I studied for years and spent many hours in thought and meditation and prayer, pondering my spirituality and my beliefs. In all my searching I found that nothing explains the world or the universe better than science. Science fills my mind with wonder and lets me stand in amazement of reality. I don't need to ask the question "would you die for your religion," because as an Atheist my beliefs are not that irrational. Nor would my beliefs ask me to hide or ignore facts or history. My beliefs don't require me to give my money to be "faithful" to them, or lie to my future children. "In the history of the world, nothing has been the catalyst of more grief, hatred, war, and crime than religion. Religion allows a person to hate, kill, torture, or steal, while allowing him to recuse himself of all blame. Religion causes people to break the laws of ethics and morality in the name of a god. Religion dulls the mind and weakens the senses. It makes "God did it" seem like a reasonable answer to anything at all, squelching questions of why, and how, and when, and replacing these questions with repeated mantras and prayers to nobody." -AmericanAtheists.com
May your life be blessed by the Atheists that you do and even don't know. The ones who invented medicine, or medical procedures that cured you, or someone in your family. The one who wrote the science book for your class. The Atheist who developed your favorite website or even the one who made your lunch. You would be surprised how many of us there are (8%-10% of the world population). We all enjoy the advances that science gives us, but we rarely think of the reason why science has come so far. Its because science questions everything, including it's self. I feel that's how we should all live life, questioning, prodding and constantly searching for truth, in the world and inside our selves.
Thank you for reading.
Scott Peterson.
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