Ask the right question…

I’ve been asked many times why I am an Atheist. Often that question is phrased as ‘why do you believe in Atheism?’  I first have to correct the question before I can answer it. As I will go on to explain, Atheism is not a belief in and of itself, rather it is a lack of belief in a god or divine creator. You see, Atheism is not organized; it is not a club or a group. Atheists are individuals who use their faculties of reason and logic to assess information, and form an opinion based on proven fact and truth. On the other hand religion is, as I will explain further, a baseless theory, that has no means of proof, substantiation or even the tiniest shred of real evidence. God resides only in the mind of the believer and nowhere else, period. So, why Am I an Atheist? Now that we have asked the right question we can look at that answer.

Why are you an Atheist?

Personally I became an Atheist after spending the better part of eight years studying religion-after-religion as well as other less-structured spiritual concepts or beliefs. Through all that time I found nothing that resembled truth in any form. Everything I observed in the realm of the religious and spiritual were all unsubstantiated ideas and agenda-based doctrine. Absolutely every religion required faith to believe in it. There was nothing tangible and no way of knowing which was right, since they all claimed authority.

When I began to look at science instead of the bible, I started to understand more about our biology, our DNA, the biology of the creatures around us, mathematics, paleontological evidence, etc. For the first time I found truth and validity. I learned that you simply cannot start off with an idea or concept that you wish to be true and then see how you can find information to substantiate it, rather one must begin with no preconceived ideas and follow where the facts lead. Really, science is a means to an end; in that the methodology is based on examination and testing, resulting in a proven fact or plausible theory.

There are so many reasons why I do not believe in God or a creator, I can’t even begin to think of where to start. I find that religion itself proves that it is man-made. But looking at science specifically, we know that evolution is a proven fact - viruses and bacteria are one example of this. Also I recommend that anyone who has not already done so, reads-up on Darwin’s finches (a study that has been continued in our modern day). Evolution is visible in our own living memory, has been proven and is no longer a theory. Even many priests have conceded to that fact. Now they try to ’spin’ their doctrine to fit into that, saying that God used evolution; an obvious fallacy that contradicts other doctrine. Others say that God put fossils on earth to test our faith. How can someone reason with this kind of logic. Again, the claims of religion are insubstantial and completely unprovable. Religious ‘logic’ (which I personally consider a contradiction in terms) rejects proven fact and evidence, instead persisting in its delusion of a sky-daddy who demands our devotion, yet in his infinite power doesn’t provide proof of his existence, but rather tests and tricks us. The thought that god put fossils on the earth to confuse us sounds (in my opinion) more like something that the wicked devil would do to tease and taunt us.

But moving on… given enough time and space, mathematics show us how probable it actually was for life to begin on a planet such as ours, namely one with liquid water and a potentially life-sustaining and temperate climate. Time and evolution together demonstrate how life evolved from the simplest of creatures into the complex forms of life that exist on our planet today. All this and more persists without the need of an intervention from a supernatural god. Our universe, our solar system, the evolution of life on our planet, it is all self sustaining (at least for now) in a way that requires no otherworldly hand to direct it, keep it in balance, on course, growing or evolving… you get the point.

DNA has probably been the single most telling evidence of our evolution, in that it demonstrates our common ancestry to other existing or extinct mammalian life forms. Contrary to popular belief, we did not evolve from monkeys but rather shared a common ancestor at some point in our very, very distant past. Our DNA contains an absolute ‘mess’ of now useless data which is shown to be remnants from our past. Essentially these are left-overs or tiny signatures that mark characteristics we no longer have, but have been a part of our evolutionary process.

The bottom line is that no one can tell you what to believe. I firmly believe that each of us has to find truth for ourselves - we have to have that “ahhh, I get it…” moment. There isn’t one book that you can read or one person that you can listen to. Truth does not come from one source only. That said, individual truths are singular and demonstrable; there cannot be different versions of one truth. Truth is factual; it is proven. It is not something that is baseless and theoretical without a shred of evidence.

I said no to faith…

After I left the Watchtower Society of Jehovah’s Witnesses I was never able to fool myself into believing anything that was unsubstantiated. So now, I study, research and analyze. When I find a truth I accept it. When I find baseless theory, I toss it aside. From everything I have ever seen, religion is a baseless and an absolutely unprovable theory; ultimately requiring ‘faith’ to accept it. Faith is not something I am willing to exercise. Perhaps we needed faith when we didn’t have the science or the capacity to understand our own nature or the world around us. But today we have science; we have knowledge and understanding. Indeed, with our many advances, faith has outlived its tenure in our world, it has overstayed its welcome.

Does that mean that science can provide all of the answers? Perhaps it will one day. Atheists will openly acknowledge that they don’t have all the answers, but they do have some. And their answers are not just fanciful ideas; their answers are facts about our DNA, our evolution as a species, the history of the world around us and even our universe. Religion on the other hand, offers ‘answers’ that tickle the ears of mortal humans who are conscious of their own ultimate death. Religion is a delusion that provides comfort for the suffering and dying but is ultimately a delusion; one that also drives it’s followers to commit cruel unkindness, and unspeakable evil.

So until there is one shred of proof or even one shred of evidence that demonstrates there is a god or creator, I will remain a humble atheist, following the trail of breadcrumbs as science unravels and reveals the truths of our universe, our planet and our species.

~Moxie