The more I learn the more the idea of god seems unlikely.
I see the natural wonder and beauty of the universe and I see no place for god. I see people doing good and people being bad. I see nature's serenity and nature's aggression and in all this I see no place for god - and I'm okay with that.
The universe is full of natural wonder. From its awesome size, to the smallest particle. From supernova, to a buzzing bee these things are explained with no god required.
I would love to take the theists of the world and have them view the universe through an atheist's eyes. I want them to see how special it is - without a god.
I don't believe the universe was built for me. I think I'm an insignificant part of it. It owes me nothing - I simply have an opportunity. The idea that I am simply the product of some being's imagination is demeaning and uninspiring. I am the sum of a series of natural events.
I don't want to tell others they can't enjoy the rights I have. I can't look at a child and tell them they are flawed, or they'll burn in hell. I won't tell two people in love they can't be married. I don't want to use this life to prevent happiness.
I don't want to assume I know everything because I've got an old book. I want to pursue knowledge and truth and do it without harming others and without negatively impacting the aspects their lives that don't negatively impact on mine.
In essence it's not just that I don't want to be a theist. I just can't be. It goes against everything that I feel, everything I am.
This is beautiful
ReplyDeleteIt is frustrating to know that if you could just make someone see things through your eyes for a moment, they'd get it. It's like trying to take a security blanket from a child just long enough for them to realize they are ok without it. Unfortunately, adults hold far more tightly to their security blankets and are wiling to go to war to protect them.
ReplyDeleteGood blog :)
A lovely expression of a position that I identify with. Succinct.
ReplyDeleteexcellent mate
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed. Excellent post. - Kees Engels
ReplyDeleteWhy do all religious people feel the need to justify their actions with quotes from an outdated work of fiction. There is more violence in the bible than in any other so called non-fiction book and then most of that violence is justfied through religious beliefs. Thanx for the excellent article.
ReplyDeleteProfound and beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHow sensible is that, Keep em coming Mr Oz
ReplyDeleteConcise and lovely. A lesson to all bloggers (esp me) that long blogs are not necessary to get across a universal truth.
ReplyDeleteStephen
Great reply to Oprah and all the bigots out there, who keep trying to tell us how to live, how to think and how to be, based on their 'copyist' regime of pre-historic dogma and savagery. This 'god' guy is a total creep and those that compound his ill wisdom and pathetic dictatorship are clones of the same idiocy. Nearly as poetic as @humanimperative himself. Nice one.
ReplyDeleteWell said. I definitely look at the world as a much more amazing place as an atheist than I ever did as a Christian. A powerful being just willing things to be the way they are is simple, and honestly kind of boring. The simplest life evolving into the most complex life forms over huge time frames? It's so freaking cool! It actually saddens me that the hard core religious miss out on the beauty that is evolution (and many other amazing things in the natural world) because of their simplistic view of everything.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant
ReplyDeleteWell put, sir. Beautiful in its simplicity and its logic.
ReplyDelete- Dave Foda
An honest & most heartfelt write that was a pleasure to read.
ReplyDeleteWell done.
Thank you for sharing.
Absolutely excellent. Spot on.
ReplyDeleteThank you Donovan.
ReplyDeleteWhat an inspirational blog post. Really enjoyed reading it. My favorite line "I don't want to use this life to prevent happiness." Perfect. I wish more people in the word felt this way. Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteThank you all for the wonderful comments :)
ReplyDeleteBs! atheism is an unfounded belief, as is the belief in god! Being an agnostic is saying, we are without belief either way, because the truth is unatainable in this dimention.
ReplyDeletePlease read this article at Iron Chariots to address your misunderstanding: http://wiki.ironchariots.org/index.php?title=Atheist_vs._agnostic
DeleteSimply atheism/theism goes to belief (or lack of)
agnosticism/gnosticism goes to knowledge.
I always consider agnosticism as being a bit wimpy! By categorizing myself as an atheist, I'm making a bold statement. I'm saying that I've given this a great deal of thought and weighed up the evidence ( or lack thereof in the case of theism).
Delete@Anita
Perfectly said...Religion is an ancient cancer that has had its time.
ReplyDeleteWhen I contemplate the universe I'm filled with awe and wonder as you are. My feelings are not diminished by the lack of the supernatural in fact quite the contrary. What really amazes me is my good luck in being born now, at a time when we can view this with a fairly good understanding of how it all came about. ( ie. really came about not the fairy story. )
ReplyDeleteI love the quest we're on; a quest to arrive at a scientific understanding of the first seconds of existence and perhaps the seconds BEFORE the Big Bang. I love science!
@Anita