Divorcing Religion

Sometimes relationships just don’t work out. As we grow and change over time, we sometimes outgrow the other party in the relationship. That’s how it was for me in my divorce with Religion. Religion and I had been acquaintances when I was young, but it wasn’t until late middle school/early high school that Religion and I started growing close. Maybe it was my tumultuous home life and my craving for love and attention, or maybe it was that all the popular kids were so enamoured with her. In any case, Religion won my heart swiftly and completely. Like many people in a relationship, I viewed her without awareness of her flaws and I was able to overlook even glaring inconsistencies in her character.

Introduction

Hey all, I am the skepticalProgrammer! I am a young atheist living in the Bible Belt, and I’m very politically and socially liberal. I believe that anyone can live a moral live without believing in a deity, and that religion should never be used to cause, justify, or allow harm to others.

Many people upon hearing the word “atheist” tend to think of an angry person who is either looking for attention or angry at God for a perceived wrong and out to destroy religion at all costs. While there are those who fall into the above category, I (as well as most of the atheists I know) do not fall into that category. I am not an atheist because I am angry at God or because I want attention. In fact, only my close friends know my views on God. I am an atheist because I feel that specifically Christianity leaves me with too many questions lacking credible answers. For example: How can a God who is Omniscient and all-loving create a person who he would know would invariably end up suffering in Hell for all eternity? If God loves us and wants us to believe in him, why has he not given us any concrete evidence like the Bible tells us he did for Thomas? How do Christians believe in one God while large portions of the Old Testament were formerly written as texts for the Polytheistic ancient semitic religion? And that’s just the beginning.

While I cannot bring myself to believe in a god with the above questions, I am by no means against religion. I have seen the good that can come of religion, and I have quite a few Christian friends, some of whom are pastors or studying in seminary to become pastors.

I am writing this blog because I would like an outlet for my thoughts without facing the judgment of my most conservative friends.