Atheism has made me a better person

Sent in by M. L.

It has been a long and often emotionally turbulent journey, but I can now state, without fear eternal damnation, that I am an Atheist.

I am not angry. I do not feel “done in” by Christianity. I do not even feel that my years as a Christian were wasted. In fact, I believe that I am who I am today due to the sum of my experiences. And Christianity played a big part in that.

That said, becoming an Atheist has had a greater impact on my life than all those years of Theism ever had.

I now go through life with eyes wide open.

My relationship with my husband has reached an all time high. I can be adventurous without feeling guilty. I can unequivocally state that he is the true love of my life without the nagging voice in the back of my mind reminding me that Jesus should actually hold that position. I can be the woman he loves, completely rebellious and devoid of all notions of submission - my true self!

But it is not just my marriage that has benefited.

I can now ask questions that I would never have dreamed possible asking. Imagine the joy of investigating without fear of being influenced by evil. I have even gone as far as checking out the official Satanic website, just to see what these guys are really all about! Interesting stuff. Not for me, but interesting none the less.

My point is, I do not need to believe anything anymore because church dogma dictates it. I do not have to mold my sense of morality and of ‘what is right’ based on what was preached from the pulpit last Sunday.

I can make my own rules based on what I believe is right and just. Just because I can.

My opinions have changed. I am more tolerant of other’s differences. I can look at other religions without judgment. Who cares what other people believe. As long as they do not try to impose their belief structures on me, what difference does it make? I am not threatened anymore. I am empowered by knowledge and reason.

Life has new meaning. When we die, that is it. So I love truly, live life fully. No more storing up treasures in Heaven. No more living to die so that I can live forever. I now enjoy the here and now and have peace with the fact that this is all the time we will ever get.

People ask the question, if there is no God, what is the point to our lives? In the greater scheme of things, what difference do we really make? My answer would be that without God, my life has more meaning. I take charge of my own destiny. I am responsible for all my actions. No devil to blame, no magical wiping clean of the slate whenever I stuff up. I bare the consequences, good and bad. My children and their children will bare the fruit of choices I make now. The impact is greater than I could ever imagine, and that makes me more aware.

Pre-destiny is such a dangerous thing. It robs people of the ability to think for themselves and take charge of their own lives. It cultivates a tendency to mediocrity and complacency.

Atheism has given me the courage to be who I am, without qualification, without excuses.

Thank Nature for Reason!

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