I still need to add ALOT to this article. It is very much incomplete. Enjoy it for what it is for now. Bless you.
INTRO
To start off, I would like to start with the question most people would be first to ask when confronted with the highly controversial topic of religion. Do you believe in God/a God? Before I delve into details, let me answer that question as simply as I can. No. Why? Without trying to toot my own horn, I would say that I am a very logical person. Evidence must be presented to me in all forms for me to believe something. This viewpoint is most definitely not only reserved for religion. This is a creed I follow every day. Have I ever been presented with evidence of an existing God? No. Now, for those of you believers that have heard this argument before and think you can stop me now and refute it, please keep reading. But before I continue, let me make something very clear. I am not confused, I am not misguided, I am taking information that has been put before me over many years and bringing it to the forefront.
ARGUMENT #1- Religion is a tool that has been used for thousands of years as a means of brainwash and indoctrination for our youth.
ARGUMENT #2- Society looks down on non-believers, just as they look down on every minority at the time at which they are still a minority.
This is one of the biggest reasons I believe that people still believe without knowledge. Sure, you can point out your faith and that's fine, I just will be forever perplexed as to where your faith stemmed from (Most likely your family who was never wrong in your eyes when you were a child and maybe still to this day) and why you blindly accept it as the truth (Because that's what you were told to do or you'd go to hell). If the parenthesized tidbits seemed slightly specific, it's because that's how I was indoctrinated, and I am convinced I am nowhere near alone. This is not a case of me hating God. Think of the case of the atheist. In today's society, they are looked down upon and shunned as devil worshippers and cult members simply because they do not believe in a God. This somehow translates as "I will praise Satan until my death" for some people.
ARGUMENT #3- Why don't you just leave the believers alone? Why do you feel the need to tell them they are wrong?
First off, proving wrongness in belief is not one of my goals. Not even a little bit. I'm not even saying God doesn't exist. I would never say that. I am simply trying to promote a healthy environment for debate, where both sides are equally represented if they wish to do so. People that have a certain viewpoint shouldn't feel the need to keep it a secret because they think they will be scrutinized for what they value as their personal beliefs. Is God real? Maybe. My personal opinion? Nope.
ARGUMENT #4- You say you don't believe because you don't have any evidence to prove it to you, so what evidence makes you think that there is no God?
I can say with a decent amount of confidence that I've seen more evidence that would prove against a God than for.
ARGUMENT #5- Why don't you just believe? What is the point of not believing in God? If he is real, and you don't believe you will go to hell. So wouldn't it simply be in your best interest to believe?
To be honest, I used to not be able to answer this question, and I still can't do it on my own. I can, however, answer it with one of the best quotes I have ever read.
"Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on your virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones." -Marcus Aurelius
To put it in my own words: If there is a God, then I hope my non-belief does not exempt me from heaven, while a believer who raped 10 children in his lifetime all while being a devout Christian is welcomed into his kingdom because he repented before he passed. If this truly is the case, I am perfectly fine staying far away from the cesspool that could very well be heaven.
