My atheism isn't a big secret; I will tell of my lack of belief to anyone who has an ear. It's not because I believe I'm smarter than those who believe in a deity of sorts; no, it is because, in my opinion, the burden of proof hasn't been met. But why go ahead and speak out against religion? Why bother those who believe in their chosen deity, using derogatory terms such as believers in a bearded Tinkerbell? Well, it is because I believe they are misled and I am trying to shock them into reality.
I use Abrahamic religions as they are the most commonly held group of belief systems in the western hemisphere. Those religions teach us that while life is worth living, if we do not reach our goals, it's okay, we will meet them in heaven/paradise. Those faiths teach us that this life, the only one we have proof of, is merely a dress rehearsal for the real party, the heavenly North Korea, in which death is not an option. It teaches us to live in complacency with a complete disregard for what matters in this world, and yet it teaches us to fight against some extremely important aspects of the heart of our humanity, including those we are allowed to love. Well, I say this needs to end.
I recently encountered a situation where some who are close to me spoke out against something they disagreed with in a rather casual yet venomous manner. They did not know that I adhere to the ideology which they spoke badly of; had they known, I have no doubt that they would have refrained from offending me or mine, and kept their ideas to themselves. This reminded me of Stone Sour's "Through Glass" lyrics, "While you're outside looking in, describing what you see, remember what you're staring at is me". It's interesting to see what people would say to you if they thought you agreed with them, when really, they are insulting you without even knowing it. Religion teaches us that it's okay to discriminate against those who are different, simply for being different: the LGBTQ community, the polyamorist community, some sects even fight against interracial marriages to this day! Why hate those who are different than us and try to infringe on their rights to be happy? Why hate at all? After all, consenting adults are aware of what they are doing and are prepared to face the consequences of their actions, consequences which have absolutely nothing to do with you.
It is something I have been fighting for within myself for at least 20 years, where I knew of such acts of love, and did not think anything wrong with it. Yet society, ingrained with religious dogma, teaches that those behaviors are wrong. I have sat silently for 20 years and fought internally to keep a straight focus on equality among all humans, regardless of sex, gender, "ethnicity", or sexual orientation. It is our right, as human beings to want to be happy! I was always taught that "my freedom ends where yours begins", I am free to believe, or do what I want to, so long as it doesn't infringe on your freedom to do the same. Why won't more people believe and live by this simple truth?
We only have one life folks - why waste it on fairy tales which teach us to be bigoted and mean spirited towards those who are different? There is only one race in the human genome: Human. We come in many different shapes, sizes, and colors. The same can be said about our character; we are all different and have different inclinations. Why judge people based solely on what we are taught is right? Are we not smart enough to figure out what is right ourselves? Do we not have the capability? What about the Socratic method of learning, to question everything? I am reminded of Thomas Jefferson when he said "Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear". Those are powerful words that Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and other faiths refuse to abide by; indeed the very questioning of the existence of our deity of choice is forbidden. In Luke 4:12 Jesus flat out says: "You must not test the LORD your God", a statement that insures the unquestioning slave-like position of the followers of the Christian Messiah. It is a method we see in the Wizard of Oz: Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain! In other words, be willfully ignorant and unwilling to see reason!
A lot of apologists would use Pascal's Wager (If you believe in God and turn out to be incorrect, you have lost nothing--but if you don't believe in God and turn out to be incorrect, you will go to hell.) in which one states that the existence of god is binary. This is, of course, intellectually dishonest as it presupposes that there is only one god, and that the person posing the wager is worshiping the right one. It also insinuates that believing is a conscious act, and that an omnipotent deity would not be able to see through a hypocritical fake belief "just in case". Worst of all, Pascal also assumed one last thing, that believing in this chosen deity would not cost the believer anything. This is wrong; the most valuable thing we have is, arguably, time. Those who believe are so entranced by their beliefs that they waste their life away, not actively participating in making this world a better place, "Because why should we, it's only temporary anyway, and the sooner it is destroyed, the faster we all get to leave to meet the magical sky Gandalf who punishes gays and people who don't believe in him!" And he's supposed to love everyone unconditionally! Think of all of the good that could be done, all the problems that could be solved if believers would actively work to make this world a better place instead of sitting by complacent and content while waiting to meet their nonexistent creator...all of the wasted talent and potential!
We only have this one life, why not enjoy it, and live it as who we are, without fear of shame or guilt, cultivated in us by a society which strives to control and shape us into sheep, obediently being led to our deaths. Never be satisfied with being half the person you can be, or want to be. If society can't accept you for who you are, it is time to change society, do not let it change you. For far too long, we have felt the weight of our failing society crush us - let us rise and strive to leave this world a better place than the world we entered. Let us make this world a world of acceptance, love, and a legitimate search for truth!
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