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Why I enjoy being an atheist
A lot of people I know seem to find comfort and security in their absolute knowledge that God exists. My understanding of this is that it lets one make sense of seemingly senseless events because then you can say that your cousin didn't die in a car accident because of a meaningless set of coincidences, but that God works in mysterious ways and his death somehow serves a higher purpose, even if as humans we can't understand what that purpose is.
As for me, I find the opposite to be true. If I try to imagine that everything in life happens because some omnipotent being out there made it like this I feel trapped and rageful at said being for dumping us into such a crappy world. I find it liberating to believe that life is complete and utter randomness. On the one hand it means that yes, horrible stuff happens to good people for no reason at all. But on the other it means that you really are free to do whatever you want. If you want to be a complete asshole, that's ok, but there's plenty of consequences in this world for that kind of behaviour such as lack of friends and stuff. And if you want to be good then that's fine too, and better yet, you don't need to listen to anything but your own conscience to decide what constitutes good. Hmm, that came out implying that you can be lazy by setting the bar as low as you want, which isn't what I meant. What I meant was that most people have certain moral ideas about what is right and wrong, and not believing in a higher power leaves you free to follow that inner compass rather than trying to reconcile your views with that of your religious institution.
I think I believe in an ideal world that doesn't really exist. I assume that everyone has a strong moral voice that, in the absence of an authority figure (eg god) would still lead people to act in a good/responsible way. I know from experience that there are a lot of people out there who are like that, but that there's also a lot of people out there who either don't possess or don't listen to that voice, who take the easy way out, who act in petty and malicious ways because they're bored or having a bad day or whatever. But then, the majority of those people wouldn't change their ways for religious purposes anyway..
As usual, I have no idea where I'm going with this. But I know that I find the idea of God as a kind of Big Brother to be oppressive, even if he had my best interests at heart. I want to be free, whether that means screwing up big time or becoming something amazing I never knew I could be. And without the capacity for the first the second loses a lot of its savour.
As for me, I find the opposite to be true. If I try to imagine that everything in life happens because some omnipotent being out there made it like this I feel trapped and rageful at said being for dumping us into such a crappy world. I find it liberating to believe that life is complete and utter randomness. On the one hand it means that yes, horrible stuff happens to good people for no reason at all. But on the other it means that you really are free to do whatever you want. If you want to be a complete asshole, that's ok, but there's plenty of consequences in this world for that kind of behaviour such as lack of friends and stuff. And if you want to be good then that's fine too, and better yet, you don't need to listen to anything but your own conscience to decide what constitutes good. Hmm, that came out implying that you can be lazy by setting the bar as low as you want, which isn't what I meant. What I meant was that most people have certain moral ideas about what is right and wrong, and not believing in a higher power leaves you free to follow that inner compass rather than trying to reconcile your views with that of your religious institution.
I think I believe in an ideal world that doesn't really exist. I assume that everyone has a strong moral voice that, in the absence of an authority figure (eg god) would still lead people to act in a good/responsible way. I know from experience that there are a lot of people out there who are like that, but that there's also a lot of people out there who either don't possess or don't listen to that voice, who take the easy way out, who act in petty and malicious ways because they're bored or having a bad day or whatever. But then, the majority of those people wouldn't change their ways for religious purposes anyway..
As usual, I have no idea where I'm going with this. But I know that I find the idea of God as a kind of Big Brother to be oppressive, even if he had my best interests at heart. I want to be free, whether that means screwing up big time or becoming something amazing I never knew I could be. And without the capacity for the first the second loses a lot of its savour.
no subject
Of course you know I think you're wrong about God, but I'm not here to say "ZOMG you're wrong!!!" Rather, I am interested in seeing how you have come to your present understanding, how it differs from mine, and whether you have reached "the end of reason" or are still sorting your thoughts.
Just remember, religion isn't about comfort. To live in "faith" for the sake of one's own comfort is fundamentally selfish, and about as morally opposed to the selflessness of religion as one can get. The moral obligations I understand and strive to uphold do not in any way make life easier for me - on the contrary, it would take far less discipline (and, I'm sure, be far more sensually pleasing) if I could "do as I please". Indeed, religion has only made me more acutely aware of the natural order, many aspects of which our contemporary society is working very hard to cloud. Despite this difficulty, I and many others persevere. Faith is not for my own comfort, it is about my responsibilities.
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1) My lack of belief in God is something I've been heading towards for a long time. At this point I think it would take some kind of intense personal revelation to make me believe. The post was more about my reaction to it than the atheism itself. A lot of people find the idea of no one in control, and that that this short unfair and painful life is all there is, to be depressing. I've realised that I don't view life that way anymore.
2) I believe this world is a really screwed up place. If God existed I'd be pretty pissed off at him right now for not intervening. And if he doesn't care enough to then he's not 'my' God anyway.
3) Part of the inspiration for this post was a post I read while blog-surfing about the ultra-religious practice of viewing everything that happens in the world as being rlated to one's relationship with God. For example my grandmother dying was a punishment for my lack of faith in God, or because I didn't pray for God to cure her, the tsunami was a warning for humanity to up their levels of faith, that sort of thing. This view in particular makes me really angry.
4) There isn't a fundamental moral code, quite the opposite. I personally believe that abortion is sometimes justified (dependent on lots of factors I don't feel like going into). That doesn't mean I don't understand why some people are opposed to it, or that they are wrong for feeling that way. If some things fall into the 'natural order' and some things are subject to personal morality, where is the line drawn? If everything falls under a 'natural order' of some kind then why do some otherwise good, faithful, caring etc people feel the opposite about some of these points? Throwing your hands up in the air and letting God decide seems.. cowardly, somehow. More on that in a moment.
5) Religion is simultaneously entirely about comfort and not about it at all. Despite the difficulty of adhering to strict religions I find it impossible to believe that you find no reward in it. The sense of communion with God, the satisfaction of knowing that He approves of what you are doing, the community, that sort of thing.
To me giving up ones self entirely to religion seems surprisingly easy. It means that there are answers out there if only you care to look hard enough. Most moral decisions you have to make can be answered within your faith, and if you find yourself in a difficult position where all the possible actions you can take appear to be harmful in some way to someone, doing what your religion tells you to is a way out that absolves you from much of the guilt associated with the decision.
6) Life for me has never been about my own comfort, but about my responsibilities =p Just because I follow my own moral compass doesn't mean that I don't adhere to it as rigorously as you adhere to your faith. I simply find faith in God to be incompatible with my belief of personal responsiblity.
7)I don't know who it was who said that religion in general makes good people better and bad people worse, but it seems somewhat true to me. Religion can't change a person's fundamental nature. Look hard enough in the holy texts and you can find justification for just about any behaviour you feel like engaging in.
8) Back to personal responsiblity.. that's what this is really about for me. I am not the way God made me. I am not just a product of my genes. There is absolutely nothing and no one who can take responsibility for me except me, and if other people want to take responsibility for some of the factors that may or may not have affected my decision then that's their call. I find any other worldview to be intensely depressing because it means that my decisions are not fully my own. Free will isn't something I've been granted, it's something I have.
Sorry for the length of this and the sometimes rant-like nature of it =p