I Do Not Believe In Your Imaginary Friend

[dslartoo]

traceroo brought up some things recently in her own journal that prompted a few thoughts from me as well.

Isn't it better to be a decent person just because you think it's a good idea, than it is to be good because your religion tells you to do so?

I've made no secret of the fact that I'm an atheist, and have been for many years. I am not constructed in such a manner as to be able to accept the existence of a God without some kind of real, concrete proof. I am simply not built to take anything purely on faith. If there isn't testable, solid evidence of its existence, then I have little use for it and it's just philosophy or speculation. Now philosophy and speculation have their place, all right, and provide many interesting discussions, but I don't see a philosophical concept as being something I should build my life around -- especially not something I should be looking to as one of the pillars to hold up the rest of my life.

Because I don't believe in a God, I also don't believe in the things that go along with that belief: that God requires our worship, that he becomes petulant with you if you do not do so, that if you do not specifically come to him and ask to worship him you'll wind up in hell for eternity, forever roasting for your sins. This, even if you've been a good person all your life, being kind to your fellow man and making the world a better place. Not only does this not make sense to me, it seems cruel and spiteful. You want me to worship a God who would do something like that?

So I don't live my life because I think the Bible tells me to do something, or because I fear hell. Instead, I'm a decent person because I think that's what I should be, because my conscience tells me I should, because intrinsically at my core I believe that it's the right thing to do. I believe that I should tell the truth always, that I should treat everyone with equal respect and kindness, that a person's race or sex or age or religion is completely irrelevant to their quality as a person and fellow human being.

Do I have my flaws? Hell, yes. I have an explosive temper. I am too quick to condemn people for doing stupid things, and too quick to sink to the level of those who're doing things I find personally repugnant. But I still feel that you should treat other people with respect and kindness until they do something to earn your disrespect. And again, this is something I believe personally, not something I've been taught by religion. And I think that in the final balance I'll come out ahead, as a pretty decent sort. If there is an afterlife, then I would hope that the balance of my life as a decent person would be enough to earn me a place there. If there isn't, as I expect, then I'll at least have the satisfaction of knowing I left a record of being cool to others.

Understand: I don't hate those who're religious. I DO hate those who kill and commit atrocities in the name of religion (any religion), but that's a topic for another entry entirely. But as far as I'm concerned, you can worship whatever deity or concept you choose, as long as you don't hurt anyone and you leave me alone to make my own choices. If your belief gives you strength, then more power to you. I just don't share that belief, so I make my way in the world without divine guidance.

-- END OF LINE --

[[The Oracle would like to know if you're a dog person or a cat person (or perhaps both).]]

Comments

[amenquohi.livejournal.com]

Well said.

[amenquohi.livejournal.com]

Just have to add one of my favorite George Carlin quotes:

"Religion has convinced people that there’s an invisible man… living in the sky, who watches everything you do every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a list of ten specific things he doesn’t want you to do. And if you do any of these things, he will send you to a special place, of burning and fire and smoke and torture and anguish for you to live forever, and suffer and burn and scream until the end of time. But he loves you. He loves you and he needs money."

[dslartoo.livejournal.com]

It happens to be one of my favorites as well. I miss Carlin and wish he was still around. There are still plenty of sacred cows that need skewering.

Glad you liked the entry, anyway.

cheers,
Phil

[sketchington.livejournal.com]

I love that last show of his. "I'm gonna die anyway," he seemed to thought. "The kid gloves come off."

[sketchington.livejournal.com]

Good points, m'friend.

And I'm a dog person. Hate cats.

[dslartoo.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I thought so too.

You even hate Bill and Caran's cat Cole? Then again, Cole seems to think he's a dog.

cheers,
Phil

[sketchington.livejournal.com]

I'm more like a cat racist. I hate them on principle, but there are one or two I know in person who are all right.

"You're one of the good ones, Cole," I'll say. "Get a job, Phoebe and stop mooching off of hard-working libertarians," I'll then say.

And of course, I'll get defensive. "I'm not a cat racist," I'll say. "I like that Garfield." Or I'll go the personal direction in my defense, "Hey, man, i know cats. I have friends who are cats. Take my cat gardener, for example."

[marared.livejournal.com]

\m/


(I am quite thoroughly a cat person, as you well know.)

[dslartoo.livejournal.com]

Oh yes. How ARE Cal and Imp these days? :)

cheers,
Phil

[stronae.livejournal.com]

I have never been a fan of molding behavior based on fear, particularly of those things which have not yet been demonstrated to exist. Perhaps a religious text can tell its readers about proper behavior, but I can also hope that the reader would think independently and say, "yeah, I should do that because it really is the right thing to do".

Good on you for willing to explore these issues and coming to a conclusion that suits you.

[dslartoo.livejournal.com]

Exploring and questioning is what I'm all about. I've been satisfied with the conclusion for years but I think this is the first time I've put it into actual words in public, I think.

cheers,
Phil

[ilexx.livejournal.com]

I am totally and completely a dog person. I don't hate cats, though. Well, most of the time.

[dslartoo.livejournal.com]

I seem to be in the minority in that I like both of 'em. Who'm I to gainsay your prioritization, though? :)

cheers,
Phil

[(Anonymous)]

Great post! I have more dogs than cats, but I think I'm pretty much equally a dog/cat person as all 3 dogs don't weigh as much as the cat...who isn't fat, just HUGE. I love both species for different reasons. The dogs give me unconditional love and endless fun, and as for The Finn...well, Albert Schweitzer said it best: "There are two means of refuge from the misery of life - music and cats."

---Helly

[dslartoo.livejournal.com]

Do you read Two Lumps (http://www.twolumps.net/) yet?

cheers,
Phil

[mwyaren.livejournal.com]

in short, Phil... yes, it's better. i know far too many people who call themselves Christian, meanwhile their actions would make their supposed savior cringe. i've been told by these same people that i'm "very Christ-like" and they don't understand why i don't just believe. a good person is a good person regardless of edict. you just keep rockin' on with your bad self.

[dslartoo.livejournal.com]

Exactly what I intend to do! :)

cheers,
Phil

[ahtrap.livejournal.com]

I no longer have any clue of exactly what it is I believe. The events of the past 6 years had me exploring faith seriously, in a way I hadn't since I was inculcated with Hindu belief systems as a kid. But I'd largely turned against that, and had been through a period of severe agnosticism before settling into a comfortable soft Hinduism, until I met my ex. And for a while there, I definitely believed in a god...or gods...not knowing where any particular prayer was headed, not necessarily believing that the good will of those deities lay in my believing all of those things I heard in church, or temple settings.

Now? This year's events haven't made me violently reject everything I looked at over the past few years...and I'm almost surprised. That aside, I think that my own code of conduct has never derived from the dictates of religion, because I was never interested enough in Hinduism to really fear the consequences of disobeying its dictates, and the personality was long established by the time I started looking into Christianity.

If you wanted to be cynical, you could say I was just scared of the corporeal consequences of misbehavior...but as it is in your case, it just makes SENSE that you should do right by the fellow creatures that inhabit your space.

As for dogs or cats, I like 'em both, but if I had to choose, I'd say I'm a cat person. Dogs seem to look up to you, while cats, you get the sense they're kinda looking down on you. They seem to be the superior being in the dog/cat dichotomy. Of course, I seem to be allergic to both, so the debate is largely academic.

[dslartoo.livejournal.com]

Partha, this was well-thought-out and well-written. Thanks for chiming in, man. It's nice to hear that others agree with me: it's just the right thing to do to be cool to others.

cheers,
Phil