Thoughts on religion
I'm new to this post, but I thought I would share a bit about my views. i claim to be an atheist because I do not personally believe in a God; however, I do not completely rule out any possibility or denouce any religion as wrong. Some people try to say this makes me agnostic because I am the first to say I do not know the right answer, but I disagree with them. I do not believe that anybody "knows" which religion is right. It is really a matter of one's strength of faith in their respective belief system. I am as strong and adament in my belief that a god does not exist as most Christians I have met; therefore, I classify myself as an atheist. People have tried to use the argument that if I am right I neither gain nor lose anything, but if they are right I am screwed. So I should be a Christian just to be safe. I am not comfortable choosing a religion simply for a safety net, and I believe that if God does exist he would certainly see through such a lame ploy. So I maintain my religious status and try to evolve and reconcile my beliefs with what I observe through continued education of as many religious views as possible. As for my views of other religions, I am not angry (as one poster stated of atheists) and try to maintain the attitude of "To each his (or her) own." I say believe what best suits your needs and fits with your experiences and views of the world around us. I enjoy a good open-minded discussion on religion. it is the only way to learn and evaluate my own beliefs. I do often become annoyed by people who tell me I am wrong, relentlessly try to convert me, or know less about there own religion than I do. I live in Oklahoma which is considered the buckle on the Bible Belt (a well deserved title). Everyday I am surrounded by hypocritical "cafeteria Christians" who try to convert me yet do not know the Bible and do not follw the teachings of the good book themselves. They simply pick and choose which teachigs they want to believe. for example, one girl I work with claims to be a devout Christian but is an unwed mother. She doesn't believe sex before marriage is a sin. Ok, I will step off my soap box now and finish up. to summarize, I am an atheist and proud of it! If you are not an atheist, then good for you! I hope whatever beliefs you hold serve you well. I also hope you will be open-minded and tolerant to the various other beliefs out there. For every person you say is wrong there are just as many people ready to say the same of you. Finally, please be well informed in your religion of choice. Continuosly evaluate your beliefs and know why you believe what you do. Thanks for listening (or reading as the case may be).
"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it or who has said it, not even if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own sense of reason and your own common sense."
- Buddha