Thoughts & Beliefs
Religion
Fortunately, my parents weren’t at all religious, and it didn’t take me long to figure out that the whole idea of gods and biblical stories made about as much sense as Father Christmas. Once you start really thinking about it, the cracks appear very quickly.
I remember feeling quite pleased when I discovered the word “Atheist”. It neatly captured where I stood. Over time, I moved from simply not believing religious claims to genuinely despising organised religion in all its forms. I still find it baffling that otherwise intelligent people can buy into belief systems rooted in ancient, contradictory, and often hateful texts, and somehow accept them as absolute truth. The limited, geographically isolated origins of these religions alone should set off alarm bells.
It’s almost entertaining (if it weren’t so tragic) to watch religious folks attempt to poke holes in well-established science — evolution being an obvious example, or to deploy tired “gotcha” questions at Atheists. The confidence with which bad arguments are recycled never ceases to amaze me.
I’ll be honest: I have very little time or trust for religious people. I can’t pretend I see their beliefs as harmless. I tend to look down on them, though with a certain degree of pity. We’ve all been conditioned to believe strange things at some point, but I wish more people would take the step of questioning them.
I consider myself a Humanist Atheist.
Humanist ideas include:
- There are no supernatural beings.
- The material universe is the only thing that exists.
- Science provides the only reliable source of knowledge about this universe.
- We only live this life – there is no afterlife, and no such thing as reincarnation.
- Human beings can live ethical and fulfilling lives without religious beliefs.
- Human beings derive their moral code from the lessons of history, personal experience, and thought.
To me, religion is worthless, divisive, dangerous, and outdated. I don’t sugar-coat my feelings about it. But I also know that shouting people down rarely changes minds. Reason, evidence, and curiosity work better (for those willing to listen). And if they’re not… well, at least I know I’m on the side of reality.
