If you don't mind me asking, why are you an atheist?
Oh, lots of reasons I guess.
I was never raised very religious to begin with, which didn't help. I was brought to church every Sunday my mom felt like going but when I was about... 10, I told her I'd rather sleep in than go to church and she let me. Just to get the ~vibe of how I was raised. I was already a skeptic and fairly atheist-ic even then.
But well... beyond that it's a combination of a lot of things.
I was also a very inquisitive and skeptical person, even as a child. I constantly asked questions, constantly felt comfortable correcting adults and pushing back when I felt like they were full of shit (I was also a very vulgar child and would USE phrases like 'full of shit'), and would get very, very frustrated when I felt adults were lying to me.
I asked a lot of questions in Bible school and didn't get a lot of answers. Beyond a lot of things not making sense to me logistically, a lot of things didn't make sense to me morally.
And then... my childhood was like... very full of tragedy very early on. Dead dad. Witnessed domestic violence. Related to that, my best friend was put into foster care and I was there when the cops came. Etc etc.
And so, I can to the conclusion, fairly young, that a god could not be all powerful, all knowing, AND benevolent. Because like... sure, free will can explain some evil in the world, but my dad couldn't free will outside of dying young. I was very socially conscious as well (shout out to growing up during hte bush years lol) and a lot of the injustice I saw in the world on a larger scale didn't make sense if you believe in a kind God. 9/11. Racism. Homophobia. Rent existing for single mothers, like my mom.
And, frankly, to me, a god who is not all powerful or all knowing.. isn't really a god. And I didn't want to believe in a god that wasn't benevolent. I wasn't going to fear someone who seemed like such a fucking royal cunt. SO I didn't.
I did get dragged into White Man's Atheism (you know the type) in my preteen years but focused all of my anger and "I can prove your religion is a logical fallacy" energy at Christianity, which I was mostly angry at. Watched shit like The God Who Wasn't There, read some Dawkins (yikes, not proud of that). And just.. felt very angry and hurt. But also correct.
And felt a lot of that anger and hurt continue as I watched people use religion to justify a lot of awful shit.
I've since lost that anger (or at least, I learned to focus it ONLY on the people using religion for bad and not all Christians) but the root of my belief is the same. The world, as it exists, could not be the creation of a kind or involved god. Theoretically, a god who isn't kind or involved could exist, but then... I don't need to believe in them. They have nothing to do with my life, so why spend time believing in them?
The world is a beautiful place to me because it is random. Because we can CHOOSE to be good even when it's hard, even when we aren't rewarded for it. We make our own lives. And when our lives end, there is only the peace of non-existence. That is wonderful to me. That is affirming to me. I don't need anything else to fill that gap.
Things like heaven seem miserable to me. Reincarnation seems fucking miserbale me. I don't need or want a moral code from some abstract fear or desire for reward. I envy some religious communities and think many have created beautiful, powerful things but don't TRULY want that type of community for myself.
I've participated in some religious ceremonies, I've been invited to UU church and had a decent time, celebrated some Jewish holidays and thought they were lovely, but like... it's not something that enriches my life the awy I crave enrichment. Always feel honored to be invited and welcomed into something so sacred but not something I desire on my own.
Even if I believed, I would be a-religious. I am not spiritual in any way. I don't even really believe i the more fun stuff. I don't believe in ghosts. I don't believe aliens are among us or have ever visited Earth. "Cryptids" don't intrigue me.
I'm a very fact based person and the beauty I see in the world often stems from the tangible--love from people around me, love in nature, love in random chance. I don't need that form anywhere else.
I don't begrudge anyone their belief so long as they don't wield it against anyone else. I think many religions have lots of good to offer. But for... other people. Not me.
Also, if I did believe, I wouldn't know what God to believe in. Not the Christian God but... there's hundreds more besides. I wouldn't know where to begin. And it's like... who the fuck am I to say "Yes to this god, no to this one?" If there is a God, idk if I'm the one to decide which traits and history belong to them.
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