To Believe or not to Believe, That is the Question

"The philosophy of Atheism represents a concept of life without any metaphysical Beyond or Divine Regulator. It is the concept of an actual, real world with its liberating, expanding and beautifying possibilities, as against an unreal world, which, with its spirits, oracles, and mean contentment has kept humanity in helpless degradation" (Emma Goldman). Religion has captivated human beings ever since we first pondered why we are so beautifully located on planet earth, and has helped countless generations of people try to understand the world around us. Starting with the first human beings with brains as capable as ours about 52,000 years ago, cave paintings, scriptures, essays, and theoretical thought has fueled the innate need for humans to understand reality. The Mayans treated the sun as a demi-god, because at that point in time the one source of light in our world that was omnipresent (the sun) was seen as the inspiration for life itself. Throughout the misery of the Dark Ages of Europe, when people were rattled by constant bloodshed and bubonic diseases, religion offered the hope that the afterlife would provide euphoria after our lives ended. As the years have passed, our scientific progression and use of logic and reason has allowed for people to not lean on the false hope that religion creates. The idea of not believing in God was once unfathomable, but scores of scientists and philosophical thinkers now consider themselves to have "disbelief in god", better known as being atheist. Atheism is a sort of "anti-religion", or the belief that once a life on earth ends, it is forever lost and that energy will never return or linger in any shape or form. In present time, religion still dominates a majority of our population, but the openness of atheists to announce their disbelief has caused many intellectuals to come to question the NEED for a god.

I consider myself to have absolutely no belief in the bible or of a Godlike higher being. i have spent countless hours in church over the course of life, and ever since I gained the ability to think for myself i have questioned the religious tendencies that my parents burdened on me as a child. through 1,000's hours of discovery I have willingly undergone, I cannot see religion as a reasonable value to live ones life by. The smartest individuals in the history of time, including Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking, have denounced religion in favor of taking a scientific approach to the universe. Charles Darwin and his theories of evolution have only added to the argument that there was never a "creation" of all things on earth, rather every life form that exists is a product of natural selection and the ability to fit a niche within our world. Every single organism on earth is the product of the original spark of life billions of years ago, not by a higher being but by a combination of elements that supports the development of life.

Religion is often considered the most controversial topic on earth, as billions of people live their lives by how their religion prescribes we should. i for one live my life knowing that this is the only life i will ever have, and thus I live life to the fullest. religion has led to wars ever since the use of weapons has existed, and is the number one reason that people have clashed throughout our history. when I take a look at the bible, I see fables that support condemning people if they live a life of "sin", when "sin" is often used as a means to get the maximum satisfaction out of life. The bible involves many stories of famine, persecution, death, and misery, and i for one do not agree with such a grim perspective of life.

Although I am adamant in my "disbelief", the ultimate answer has not yet been found as to if there is a God somewhere out in the cosmos. All I know is that a lack of evidence for such a God, and the constantly increasing use of science to come to grips with our universe has fueled my beliefs. I in no way look down upon those who are believers, yet i feel like it is a human right to express ones true feelings on complex subjects. If people can live their lives as steadfast believers and live a wonderful life, then I completely agree with the path they choose. However, it pains me to think how many people have relied on religion because of the fact that it is accepted and easy to comprehend, instead of actually looking deep within the soul and using ones brain to better understand the world around us.