You believe in what!?!

You might believe in God. Most people do.

I do not.

No, not even a little bit.

I’m not sure I even believe in such a thing as the human soul, although it’s such an attractive concept that I have a lot of trouble letting go of the idea. Which is a bit of a clue to me that it might not be a true thing. I like to believe that there’s a certain spark that makes us each individuals, something that is uniquely “us” about each of us, but I suspect that it all may be biochemical trickery.

It’s pretty much the same for a unique spiritual side to us. I like the idea…but…I can’t quite believe in it. I don’t think there’s anything about us that lives on after we are gone. I don’t think we look down from any sort of Heaven. I think we are just gone once we die. Anything that remains is in what people remember about us.

Sometimes people wonder how a person can get through life without believing in a god. To me, it’s not any different than not believing in Santa. A lot of people who do believe are very offended by that. I respect everyone’s right to believe whatever they want. Typically that same level of respect isn’t granted to people who don’t believe in what is, to us, an imaginary construct no different than any other myth.

Immoral, amoral, heathen, unfit parent…there are a lot of less than respectful labels thrown at atheists.

People ask us how we can possibly know right from wrong without some sort of religion. The same way they do–out parents teach us what they believe, we read, we have a society we live in.

And to tell you the truth, I don’t believe in a universal right and wrong, either.

People can believe in a lot of things. I might believe that there’s an invisible green elephant with super powers who lives in the middle of the median of I-5 at Hwy 217. You might point out that no one can see the elephant, and I can’t prove it is there. No one can see God, either, and most people of religion dispense with a requirement for proof by waving Faith around. You might point out that almost everyone believes in God, but I’ m the only one who believes in the elephant.

Well. Yeah. So?

Just because almost everyone believes in something doesn’t make it correct.
At one time, nearly everyone believed that the Earth was the center of the universe and only a few thought it was the sun.

We know who was right about that. We also know how threatened organized religion was about it. Threatened enough to call it heresy and imprison and kill over it. Kill people just for believing something different.

I’m not a fan.

Believe what you want. I don’t care. Just don’t be a douche about it and think your beliefs are the only correct ones or that they should control what anyone else does.

There’s room enough for a multiplicity of beliefs on our planet.

Even green elephants if that’s what makes you happy.

I’ll be over here drinking from a skull and celebrating Doubt.
L’chaim.

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