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Thursday, February 24, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
The Answer, Finally
For several years now I've considered myself an atheist. It's the logical end result of my journey through knowledge and research that has led me to a conclusion that should have been obvious to me a long time ago and should be obvious to anyone who gives it enough thought.
The main reason, I think, that I held on for so long, and that every other adult living in modern society still holds on to their belief is fear. Mainly fear of death, but also fear of ostracism, fear of family, fear of the unknown, or fear of many other things both rational and irrational.
For me, after I had accumulated enough knowledge about life, the universe and existence, it no longer seemed necessary or possible to continue to hold onto the concept of an all-powerful being who watches, judges, controls or gets involved in the affairs of humans. I could no longer deny this reality and no longer had the fears and guilt that kept me in The Fold. But I kept searching.
Searching for what?
I couldn't put my finger on it entirely, but I was fascinated by and deeply interested in the evolution/creation debate, morality debates, lectures on science, and many other topics relating to religion, science, history and morality. One might think I would lose interest in the research and discussion once I had reached my conclusion and discharged my beliefs, but I didn't. It became a hobby of mine (and I still enjoy it). But I still felt like there was something missing.
Sometimes I would try and memorize scientific principles or historical facts in the event of a debate with a believer on evolution or some other topic. I'm not a good debater, so I felt like arming myself with talking points was what I needed. But that still didn't come close to scratching the itch.
Soon I realized what I was looking for. It was an answer to a question. I knew that sooner or later I would be confronted on the subject of religion and belief by family members. It's a big fat elephant in the room every time I'm with them. My wife and children and I are a secular family, and I was raised catholic. Someone is going to eventually corner me and ask me point blank if I believe in god. There's many different ways to answer that question, and I needed to find something that stated my position clearly, honestly and was not insulting.
After much thought, I've finally put the answer together. The question can be asked in two ways. Here goes...
Q1: Why don't you believe in god?
Q2: Why are you an atheist?
Ans (for both): There are better explanations for the origins of existence that are more plausible and more beautiful and awe-inspiring than anything that has ever been given by religion or belief in a deity or a supreme being. The concepts of the soul, eternal life, salvation and condemnation are derived from wish-thinking, and are used to comfort people from their fear of death and provide false promises of divine justice for good and evil deeds.
Unfortunately there's no honest answer that can be given that won't make the questioner feel a little stupid or inferior if they are a believer in god. That's a consequence of telling the truth. Sometimes it hurts, but I can't misrepresent myself. In my own defense I left a little wiggle room meant to imply that I believe the questioner to be fully capable of arriving at these conclusions on their own. I guess you can say I have faith in them.
I won't stop educating myself since as I stated earlier, I enjoy it. It's become a passion for me. My quest for knowledge is insatiable even in my 40's, but now I can do it for the sheer pleasure of learning, and not feel like I have a big problem to solve.
The main reason, I think, that I held on for so long, and that every other adult living in modern society still holds on to their belief is fear. Mainly fear of death, but also fear of ostracism, fear of family, fear of the unknown, or fear of many other things both rational and irrational.
For me, after I had accumulated enough knowledge about life, the universe and existence, it no longer seemed necessary or possible to continue to hold onto the concept of an all-powerful being who watches, judges, controls or gets involved in the affairs of humans. I could no longer deny this reality and no longer had the fears and guilt that kept me in The Fold. But I kept searching.
Searching for what?
I couldn't put my finger on it entirely, but I was fascinated by and deeply interested in the evolution/creation debate, morality debates, lectures on science, and many other topics relating to religion, science, history and morality. One might think I would lose interest in the research and discussion once I had reached my conclusion and discharged my beliefs, but I didn't. It became a hobby of mine (and I still enjoy it). But I still felt like there was something missing.
Sometimes I would try and memorize scientific principles or historical facts in the event of a debate with a believer on evolution or some other topic. I'm not a good debater, so I felt like arming myself with talking points was what I needed. But that still didn't come close to scratching the itch.
Soon I realized what I was looking for. It was an answer to a question. I knew that sooner or later I would be confronted on the subject of religion and belief by family members. It's a big fat elephant in the room every time I'm with them. My wife and children and I are a secular family, and I was raised catholic. Someone is going to eventually corner me and ask me point blank if I believe in god. There's many different ways to answer that question, and I needed to find something that stated my position clearly, honestly and was not insulting.
After much thought, I've finally put the answer together. The question can be asked in two ways. Here goes...
Q1: Why don't you believe in god?
Q2: Why are you an atheist?
Ans (for both): There are better explanations for the origins of existence that are more plausible and more beautiful and awe-inspiring than anything that has ever been given by religion or belief in a deity or a supreme being. The concepts of the soul, eternal life, salvation and condemnation are derived from wish-thinking, and are used to comfort people from their fear of death and provide false promises of divine justice for good and evil deeds.
Unfortunately there's no honest answer that can be given that won't make the questioner feel a little stupid or inferior if they are a believer in god. That's a consequence of telling the truth. Sometimes it hurts, but I can't misrepresent myself. In my own defense I left a little wiggle room meant to imply that I believe the questioner to be fully capable of arriving at these conclusions on their own. I guess you can say I have faith in them.
I won't stop educating myself since as I stated earlier, I enjoy it. It's become a passion for me. My quest for knowledge is insatiable even in my 40's, but now I can do it for the sheer pleasure of learning, and not feel like I have a big problem to solve.
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