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I have heard a few different explanations from other people for why I left the faith and became an atheist. Some say I just didn’t want to have to be accountable to god anymore for my actions because I enjoyed “sinning”. Others I was never actually a true Christian (I’ll probably address that one some other time). But the one that frustrates me the most is that I’m just pissed off at god, religion, and the world. Why do people think that they know what my reasons are without even asking me about them? I don’t pretend to know why other people chose the path of unreason when they joined a religion because it could be any number of reasons. I would much rather ask them what they believe and why than just speculate that they are all idiots, because I am sure that isn’t true 99% of the time (though unfortunately that 1% that is tends to be the most outspoken). Don’t rush to judgment about something you don’t know.
As for being angry at god, how can I be angry at something I do not believe exists? I guess I could compare it to a Christian being angry at Poseidon for causing hurricanes. It doesn’t make any sense. I assume it stems from the belief that some people hold that even atheists know that there is a god, but we just refuse to acknowledge it. I suppose I could be angry at the concept of god and the use of his presumed teachings by his followers, but this would fall more under the category of being angry with religion. I’m not really even angry with religion in general. I admit that it can be used as a force for good in the world through the helping of others. But people shouldn’t require religion to force them to do good deeds for their fellow man. Helping should be a reward in itself. You don’t need the promise of eternity in heaven to force you to be kind to others. If there is anything that I am angry with it’s the use of religious doctrine for evil. Once dogma is used to oppress other people I immediately have a problem with it, and I believe that it is the job of secularists and liberal religious people to make sure that such things do not happen.
This is still not why I left the faith. I left the faith because I saw no evidence in favor of believing that there is a god up there and that the bible is a true historical document. If you want to know exactly what I believe and what I don’t believe, just ask me. I don’t have all the answers and I don’t pretend like I have them. I only ask that you be civil and don’t pretend like you have all of the answers. I really enjoy having conversations about such things and I think that they are necessary if anyone is going to grow as a person. Just don’t be rude about it.
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The Daily Jokelahoman 
People pretend to know the reasons because it’s more palatable and intellectually simple to dismiss you as joy-seeking heathen, as opposed to accepting that many people cannot grant intellectual consent to faith.
It’s rather convenient to situate you in that little box–that you dropped faith in order to abandon inconvenient standards of morality or that you’re some angry at the world emo kid.
I know it bothers you, and rightly so. Keep in mind that this comes from a guy who clings to his faith through innumerable bouts with doubt and skepticism. I’m ashamed that so many people treat you in the manner you’ve described; such presumption and rudeness is ill-befitting Christianity . Not to mention hypocritical.
Comment by Naysayre August 5, 2009 @ 10:14 pm