Intro

I decided to write this publicly to explain why I am comfortable living without religion. It is in response to the looks of shock and sorrow, pity and sympathy even, that I have received when I have let people know I do not believe in god (or any gods, for that matter). I also want to clear the air right now and mention that this does not mean I worship the devil or any other nonsense; I equally do not believe in witchcraft, sorcery, or anything that human superstition has bred over the hundreds of thousands of years we have existed.

I know that has left many pondering what I do believe in. The most simple answer is life. Here we are, all living. This, my friends, is it. The whole shooting match. We have been given a living planet filled with diverse animal and plant life through the virtue of being born sentient creatures. While I'm curious about where our sentience came from, I don't feel the need to push superstition onto an answer. I also don't have any urge to express that I'll know all the answers when I die. Again, this is it. The life we are living now is what we get, and I feel that is enough of an answer for now.

It is most important to me in this life, on this planet (again, the only thing we have going) that we try to enhance the lives of others and do our best to keep people from suffering. I would also like to profess that I feel it is our responsibility to be environmental stewards. We have knowledge of good and bad practices towards the earth and our co-inhabitants (um, like pouring poison in a well is a bad idea, while watering your vegetable garden is a good idea) and again enhance everyone's experience on the planet. A lack of faith does not mean someone is amoral.

Ideas I attach importance to are the safety and comfort of humanity, education, equality of all people, and protecting our planet and co-inhabitants from unnecessary violence or poor treatment. Of course there are more things I attach importance to, but I am trying to keep this monologue concise for now.

It is not my point to make fun of the belief in a god, gods or other deities, but I will probably use humor in my blogging on the subject. I have a sense of humor, it is present in my life, and it will show up here. If you read any further, you can consider yourself warned.

I have been mocked before by Christians for my lack of belief. I am not saying Christians to single them out, but because they are the people who have most commonly mocked me for my absence of faith (there are just more of them living in close proximity to me than any other religious group). No one likes to be mocked or made fun of though, and I usually try to maintain respectful conversation with other people when they are conversing respectfully with me.

I don't think that mockery is usually conducive to proving anything or making a point, either, but I will admit I have mocked others for their superstitious beliefs, and probably will in the future. Mockery in a debate or argument can lighten things up and make it so we can all talk again the next day.

Overall, I love people and humanity in general and am not trying to excuse myself from it or be a radical. This is just me.

I also haven't started out here to try to really prove anything - that's best left to science, this is a blog. This is my personal rationale of why I do not subscribe to religion of any genre, and more about how I feel comfortable living with myself. I have permission to relate stories here of why I feel the way I am living is A-OK, and even that I feel justified in doing so.

If you are looking for some contra-superstitious, inflammatory review of your faith in order to enhance your feelings of righteousness, look all you want. You may or may not find what you are seeking. If you would like to debate, please keep what I say in context. I don't know how inflammatory I'll seem to you, reader, but some things really do get me heated up; I think we'll all see what comes up here as this little blog develops.