I'm always amused by how people react when I tell them I don't believe in god. They either seem mad at me, like I'm personally attacking them by not following suit or they are determined to tell me I'm wrong and that I do believe, as if they know my personal thoughts. Not that any of these people will read this, but in case it ever comes up, this is my official stance.

No, I'm not religious. I have no interest in religion beyond learning about it so I don't just assume things about different ways of life that I don't fully understand. I have no need for religion beyond the happy side effect of a sense of community and belonging, but I can get that from sort of group activity like an Improv class or Trivia Night. Most religions seem to share a lot of the same moralistic teachings, but they almost all have plenty of divisive policies that extremists can use to justify hatred and violence. That is the fault of human error or free will. Politics are no different.

As for the idea of an all-knowing all-loving all-powerful all-seeing god that knows everything and can do anything and loves us all soooo much, well, I call bullshit. There's too much injustice, pain, suffering, and random senseless violence in the world to justify the argument that god works in mysterious ways. For all the innocent lives lost every single day, this all-loving "father" sure as hell doesn't seem to be paying attention. That's the summed up gist of my reasons for being an Atheist.

I do try to be open-minded and accepting of others and their beliefs. As long as they keep their faith to themselves. As soon as one's faith says they are better than everyone else or that they believe their faith allows for violence, again, I call bullshit.

I can be snarky and sarcastic about how I view religion or some religious people, there's plenty to mock and criticize. Ultimately, my negative attitude is on me and I have to be better if I want my views respected, even if they aren't popular. I acknowledge I cannot prove that there is no god, but no one has proved that there is one either. That being said, I also acknowledge the possibility of some form of higher intelligence out there. Who knows if it is even aware of our existence? We may be like microscopic creatures to any truly advanced form of life.

Hiwever, if I am completely wrong about everything, well, if god in fact real and all-knowing, it knows who I am and why I am the way I am. I'm also told I'm made is god's image, so...