Current location:	Dorm Room
Current mood:	contemplative
Current music:	Wag Na Init Ulo Baby - Rivermaya
Entry tags:	atheism

I'm Not Different
I don't believe in a god. And that doesn't make me less of a person. I've been living as an atheist for a long time and have gained self-respect more than I have had when I was a Catholic.

I've met people who still doubt my atheism. Because they think I'm too good to be an atheist. Atheism is not synonymous to Satanism or anti-Christianity. Atheism is independent of beliefs in the supernatural. Therefore, it must not be leveled with a belief AGAINST any form of what is not natural. My morality is not dependent on faith and/or religion, a person can be good whether he belongs in a religion or despises the idea of it, whether he believes in heaven and hell or not, and whether he considers the existence of a supreme divine being.

I was told they don't believe in my claim of atheism. Because they, in their hearts, know that there is still a trace of theism inside me. Arrogance is a crime. You shouldn't use such an attitude when you deal with Homo sapiens. I am me, and I know very well my beliefs. I AM AN ATHEIST, and that is a fact. I stand for my beliefs. I do not pray for material and emotional contentments, I find ways to achieve those contentments without any divine guidance or intervention. I do not believe in the afterlife and had accepted that death is the end of worldly existence, but I am not saddened nor frightened because even if I don't believe in the nonphysical aspect of a person, I believe that memories are immortal.

When you say you don't believe me, I don't blame you. You are you. You could be right that there is a someone out there who designed every thing we see in this world and out. You could be right that my intelligence was a gift from an omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient deity. And you could be right that I am wrong. But I could go to hell for all I care, so don't tell me what to believe. (Remember Hitler?) Do not dictate your philosophies on me.

An atheist is not very different from a Muslim or a Jew. Their adrenal glands pump the same hormone when attacked by a dog and their feces go out the normal way.

Atheists don't always dress in black and are not always gloomy. He/she may love country music and may consider pink as a lifestyle.

Atheists are just like you. They get hurt when they are insulted, when their beliefs are laughed at and attacked. And they cry and bleed when stones are thrown at them.

The Ten Commandments (OF AN ETHICAL ATHEIST)

1. Thou SHALT NOT believe all thou art told.
2. Thou SHALT seek knowledge and truth constantly.
3. Thou SHALT educate thy fellow man in the Laws of Science.
4. Thou SHALT NOT forget the atrocities committed in the name of god.
5. Thou SHALT leave valuable contributions for future generations.
6. Thou SHALT live in peace with thy fellow man.
7. Thou SHALT live this one life thou hast to its fullest.
8. Thou SHALT follow a Personal Code of Ethics.
9. Thou SHALT maintain a strict separation between Church and State.
10. Thou SHALT support those who follow these commandments.

(Source & Details)

I have met more moral atheists than moral theists. I have respect for a greater number of atheists. And I am not surprised.