What’s in a name? “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
Shakespeare.
Atheist. Agnostic. Non-believer. All names that characterize and define someone who does not for whatever reason accept the traditional belief system in gods, goddesses, supernatural personages, good spirits, bad spirits, devils, angels, afterlife, before life and other stuff like that..........
This is for the all the people out there who find yourselves doubting your faith. And of course,you may receive a lot of advice from others about how doubt will strengthen your faith and may even bring you closer to your god. I'm not here to argue with that or to tell you that such a perspective is necessarily wrong. What I want is to point out that there is another possibility you should at least consider or look at. What if the doubts that you are experiencing is a healthy sign that your rational mind is trying to break free from a tradition of superstition?
Allright.......Maybe tradition can be a reassuring source of comfort when we long for familiarity, but this does not necessarily make it worth retaining. For instance,a person raised in home filled with racist attitudes.,racism is likely to feel familiar, even comfortable, but that does not mean that the individual cannot and should not leave it behind with maturity, even if his or her family continues to cling to it.
As we mature, we often begin to doubt many things we never used to question. There was a time when i believed in Santa Claus , but I set these beliefs aside long ago. why ? After all,I could not prove that there is no Santa.It was just because my mind realized that there was no evidence to suggest that they were real.
Belief in a god is similar in the lack of evidence, but different in that it is far more likely to have negative consequences. I have seen people condemn others for not adhering to the same religious beliefs. I have seen them behave in a manner inconsistent with the religious values they profess. And above all I've just grown tired of the endless religious violence, the pedophile priests, the holier-than-thou routine, or the utter hypocrisy of it all. In other words, religion for me is unlike Santa because it divides people and contributes to great suffering........
So perhaps it is time to explore the possibility of a life where meaning is derived from what is - rather than from stories and fantasies about what one wants it to be. It may be scary to imagine your life without religion. After all, it may be all you've ever known. The doubt you are experiencing might even feel like a part of your very self is at risk. But do not be so quick to dismiss your doubt. Your rational mind is just trying to communicate with you.............
I found freedom in atheism once I came to the intellectual conclusion that religion nowadays is a lie perpetuated by well-meaning and not-so-well-meaning--mostly men--with an agenda for job security, self-promotion, power and money......
I still believe all the basic stuff religions teach are good enough for everyone to obey. It keeps us civilized. I also believe when we live in fear of our gods, when we are scolded and shamed for natural thoughts and instincts by pompous preachers, and when we hold ourselves in self-righteous indignation about how others look, believe, and think, that it simply says volumes about what we think of ourselves and our own guilt heaped upon our heads by others.........
One might say a good dose of atheism is like a cure for the some ideas of faith-based religion. Take a dose, you may find it refreshing....
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