I'm Not in a Group That Loves Jesus

REPOST:

So lately I have been talking to a lot of people about why I've become an atheist. Most of the time I just try to avoid the question all together. Some people though will never just let you be. Anyone who has more logic and reasoning than blind faith has been through this. You instantly feel like a minority hated worse than gays. Only most religious people hate gays, almost all hate atheists.

But that's not why I'm writing this. Its to let everyone know why I think the way that I do, and why 1 out of every 5 of the people you know probably do to. For us it is that we can look at what science has figured out, everything from the big bang, to how the earth formed, and evolution (and yes I mean macroevolution). If all of these are the known and proven facts, that takes away the three big things you would need a God to do. You don't need him to create the universe, create the Earth, or create life.

I realize that all these are theories, but most people don't know the meaning of a theory. It's not just a guess that a scientist comes up with. That's a hypothesis. a theory does not mean an unsubstantiated guess or hunch, as it can in everyday speech. A theory is a logically self-consistent model or framework for describing the behavior of a related set of natural or social phenomena. It originates from and/or is supported by experimental evidence.

I think this is where the big difference comes in between theists and atheists, theists pride themselves on faith, or believing something with absolutely no reason other than being told to, and a atheists uses logic and reason. There are definitely other reason why people still have faith, even the smartest and most reasonable of people.

"Tell a devout Christian that his wife is cheating on him, or that frozen yogurt can make a man invisible, and he is likely to require as much evidence as anyone else, and to be persuaded only to the extent that you give it. Tell him that the book he keeps by his bed was written by an invisible deity who will punish him with fire eternity if he fails to accept its every incredible claim about the universe, and he seems to require no evidence whatsoever." -- Sam Harris

Many people see that quote a swear they are not like that. I have in fact talked the Christians that say they do not believe that believing in Jesus is enough to get them into heaven, and that he probably isn't actually God, just a great guy. This is understandable because it's confusing to think that God sent himself down to Earth in a human, but still god form as his son, (who is still him mind you) to be born of a virgin (young woman if you read the "first edition Hebrew version"), so he could die for everyones sins instead of just forgiving them while in the comfort of heaven. As if this wasn't confusing enough he will come three days after he dies, to destroy his first group of followers religion, which he promised them, as a third version of himself. I lost myself somewhere there. But Christians say it is so he could know the hardships of being human. He's God though, shouldn't he have known that, he's always here. I digress. What I was starting to say to Christians that don't believe the whole Jesus bit, you're not a Christian, that's what a Christian is. You are more of a Hybrid of a Jew and Muslim. It's okay though, you all argue about the same God.

If you have enough logic to be able to decide that the New Testament probably isn't right, why not enough to see that the old testament is just as bad, or vise versa.

I think so many people start to question there religion, then back away and become part of Pascal's Wager, If I believe in God and he doesn't exist, oh well. If I don't believe and he does, oh shit. Do you think you can really believe something that your head doesn't belive. I put it to you that believing in unicorns is enough to get you into heaven. You can't just start believing in unicorns, you have enough reasonability to know that they don't exist. It's the same I think with most people and God, they don't really believe, what they do believe is they can fool God, or more likely, the people who will ask them constant questions about not believing in God.

If you've made it this far you probably think I may be on to something, or you are really looking hard for something I have wrong. I would ask though, if you have questioned religion, it's not wrong or "sinful" to think. Why would a God give us a brain and logic if we weren't supposed to use it.

I'm going to misquote my friend Kellan here,
"There is no way free will can be possible if God has a plan for us. That's like saying he knew we were going to deny him, and therefore go to hell. So it was his plan all along to send me to hell?"
My response to this is that God is like Sony, and Kellan is a lot like the PS3. Or God is Microsoft, and I Vista.

20% of Americans 18-25 have come to the realization there is no God. Don't pretend to believe because you think you will be alone in your beliefs. Out of the 6 billion people on Earth, more than 3 billion people will be with you.

"I am against religion because it teaches us to be satisfied with not understanding the world." -- Richard Dawkins