As I sat in the teacher’s office all I wanted to do was escape. “I’ll be praying for you,” she said. “God?” I thought to myself. “My decisions were made by “God?” After she is done preaching her theory about how God will be here for me I calmly tell her that her prayers weren’t needed. I make a little smirk and walk out of the room leaving her staring at me with wide eyes.
Here’s how I perceive religion. I see it as a virus of the mind that is willingly passed from parents to an unwilling child and without consent, a form of mental rape. This infection often lasts into adulthood, doing damage to the individual and permeating every corner of our communities. It gets into our schools and into our politics where policy can be made to enforce the teachings. It gives us people like Bachmann, Bush, Beck, Rick Perry, etc and then the infected populace elects them. It starts wars, genocide, it oppresses individual thought, and promotes discrimination based on color, sex, age, and of course religion. This isn’t God’s life. He isn’t here whispering our decision making in our ear. The decisions we make are simply ours.
Southeast Polk Junior Rachel Hanson perceives religion in a different way. "For me, God has always been number one priority." she says, "I feel him next to me in my everyday life. I love him."
Rachel explains to me that she has been going to church with her family since she was a little girl. Rachel is an example of someone who has been exposed to religion because of her parents. If her parents weren't religious more than likely Rachel wouldn't be religious.
Religion hasn’t always been one of the number one topics on people’s agenda. From a scientist’s point of view the theory is religion was a response to human fear. The human race needed a form of security and religion gave it to them with “faith”.
Pastor Jacob Taylor has his own theory about how religion evolved. His theory is what many other christians believe. “When God created Adam and Eve he had a plan for them to create the rest of the human race, and while creating the human race to spread the word of God to everyone. That way the human race all had the same faith.” He says.
There are many different concepts about how religion plays a part in many people’s lives, but for some, religion is completely out of the picture. Chris James who has been an atheist for many years has protested against religion, been in facebook debates and doesn’t back down. “I think my number one reason for being an Atheist is simply the inconsistencies of self-proclaimed prophets or gods.” There are over 10,000 religions in the world. All of these religions claiming to be number one. Just like those car commercials you see on television. They pull you in, get what they out of you, and then let you go.
Religion will never end. It will be a curse in our world forever, but think about it. When you're praying you pray for you. You are actually talking to yourself to relieve your own stress. When you feel like you have made a good or bad decision that was from your own mind. It's a cause and effect. Everything happens for a reason, but "God" is not an ethical subject for you to give number one in your life. You make your own mark in the world.
I am free of your burdens as an Atheist. I love mankind because I do, and nothing more. I hold the door open for you, because you are human, and nothing more. I will reach out and help you because I’m here and I can, and nothing more. I simply treat you the way I want to be treated without any set of rules, ethics, rituals, or spiritual guilt in my life. I have nothing to be sorry for, and nothing to repent. I am living true freedom everyday and it’s the most beautiful way to enjoy life.