This post has been recovered from an alternative blogging platform that I've not used in many years. Some of the content may have been reworded so that it makes sense in the context of this site, however the substance of the content will be unchanged.
Dear friend
My family isn't religious, but when I was a child I believed in God. I don't blame any individual, I blame the government indoctrinating children with religion. It's the schools, you see. I was never taught that these spiritual beliefs were merely that - a belief. I was raised to think that what was in the bible is true. A man named Noah built an ark, the story of creation is accurate, a man named Jesus was the son of God. I was taught that these were all true. And - being a child - I believed it. Teachers are a figure of authority so you're brainwashed into believing anything they say. I find this simply immoral.
Hooray for the only worthwhile religious holiday!
Through juniors, I didn't practice any religious ceremonies. I was pretty agnostic about the whole god thing. It didn't affect my life drastically to worry about it, so I didn't. But when I was 10 or 11, I began to feel conscious about what I believed. I prayed (yes. I prayed.) for some sign that a God was watching over. I started to fear about the possibility that, if I purposely stopped believing, I would land up in Hell. And what would happen to me after I die? I carried this on for a couple of years, praying for some sort of sign - some proof that someone or something was out there. Nothing came, nothing happened. I started to lack belief in God, since he lacked providing me with proof he existed. From about 13 years old, I knew I was an atheist. Proudly so, might I add.
Looking at pictures of the universe is better than porn.
For the past 2 years, my interest in science has grown dramatically. I've opened my eyes to the universe and its wonders. I mean, just look at the grand cosmic scale of things. Billions upon billions of galaxies, home to billions upon billions of stars, each with a chance of orbiting planets, and many of those with the possibility of life. And if you're lucky, intelligent life at that. To think we are the only civilization in this universe is selfish. It's absolutely crazy to think that. And when you start to see the universe in perspective, it's absolutely ridiculous to think that a god created the world just for us, and that his son magically happens to spawn as a human, landing on Earth. Countless worlds out there, and he comes to Earth? We are magnificently insignificant. In my opinion, following any iron age beliefs shows that you are insecure. You didn't exist before you were born, why is after-death so different? You'll simply cease to exist again, forever.
I was asked, what enlightenment do I get out of being an atheist? Why do I live to die? My response is: I could ask you the same thing. Why do you live to die? You follow a book, believing in a god, hoping to get a reward at the end of it all. When what you should be doing is living for this life, living for today. Living the one life that you know you're gonna get - for yourself!
“Space isn't remote at all. It's only an hour's drive away if your car could go straight upwards.”
Most every night, I look up at the stars in the sky. I realize that these are all other “suns” and galaxies. Other planets. Other worlds. The enlightenment I get from science comes from the fact that I am extremely grateful for my existence. My short, 80-year-on-average, existence. I won't be wasting my life, and I'm happy to be here on this ocean planet for but the blink of an eye, in the perspective of the cosmos.
TL;DR: Religion sucks. I love Science.
PS: I was going to leave you with an interesting thought, but I completely forgot it.
PPS: I blabber. Science ❤️