Not Reasons I am an Atheist

Many people assume they know why I am an atheist, and that in part is why I chose to start blogging about my beliefs. I would like to address many of the common misconceptions about my atheism up front so that they are out of the way now. First of all, I am not angry with God. No event or events caused me to turn away from religion. I have had, and am having a wonderful life. I have a loving family. I have not lost a loved one to a tragic accident. Simply put, I love living and cannot wait for the next day.I am not influenced by the devil or motivated to do evil things. I do not believe in the devil. In fact, I find the idea one of Christianitys most silly. I do not want to do evil. In fact, I have dedicated a significant portion of my life to trying to become a better person by finding a belief system that aids me in making ethical decisions.I have not had a bad experience at church. I have never attended church regularly, but I have had the opportunity to attend a variety of denominations services. I have found every trip to church to be a pleasant experience. People have always been warm and welcoming at the churches I attended. Most sermons I have had the privilege to hear have been insightful and have contained valuable advice. But, none of that changes the fact that the foundation on which the temple of religion rests is cracked and faulty. The beautiful ornamentation built atop this temple is destined to end up in an ugly heap when foundation finally gives way. Anyone that uses the temple foundation as a foundation in his or her own life runs the exact same risk.I am not disillusioned by religious leaders. I find that religious leaders are very similar to the rest of us. Most people of the cloth are intrinsically good, and there are exceptionally fine examples of humanity to be found among their ranks. Perhaps, there are more good and exceptionally good people in positions of religious leadership then in the rest of society. Unfortunately, there are also bad people and the occasional exceptionally bad person. The recent rash of priest pedophiles comes to mind, but that is a topic for a later blog. The point is that I dont hold religion responsible for its leaders. While I think religion can misguide good people into doing bad things, I dont believe that most religious leaders are intentionally immoral. They are good people that have been misguided by a faulty system of determining right and wrong. Again, I think of the priest pedophiles and the archdiocese that enabled them for decades to continue to abuse children, but we will get to that later.I am not an atheist because I do not understand love. I am married to a wonderful woman. I love her with all my heart. I want children. I have two dogs that show me unconditional love every moment of every day. Is there a love more pure than that of a dog for his owner?I am not an atheist because I am attempting to be different or draw attention to myself. Personal religious belief is just that, personal. It has been painful for members of my family to discover that I am an atheist. I do not wish them pain in any form. In fact, in instances where I believe that the knowledge of my atheism would cause undo pain, I have chosen to keep my beliefs private. I write this blog not to draw attention to myself, but rather in order to help people.Most importantly, this blog is an attempt to explain to my family and friends why I believe what I do. Some of them have difficulty understanding my point of view, and others just want to understand me better as a person. It is my sincere hope that my attempt at explaining how I see the world will allow us to become closer as a result.This blog is also an attempt help those that have doubts about religion themselves. In my short time as an atheist I have met many people that feel the same way that I do, but they have either not taken the time to understand their own feelings, have been afraid to talk about their feelings, have thought that they were the only ones that felt the way they did, have not known where to turn to learn more, and did not know that there are alternative belief systems available that allow a person to be moral and godless at the same time. I have also met people that have simply never thought to doubt the religious messages they have been taught their whole lives. (Perhaps because they were instructed by religious leaders that to doubt and question is a sin worthy of eternal torture?) More than once, this type of person has been receptive and thankful for some non-threatening, intellectual discussion on the topic of religion. It can be a great comfort to find out that you are not alone in how you think, and that it is possible to be a good person and not have religion. I owe much to those that have come before me. I take great comfort in knowing that I am not alone and that there are strong, intelligent people that feel as I do. If I can help someone the way that I was helped, the effort will be worth every second I spent writing. In a world without God, this life and those we spend it with are all we have, and that is more than enough to be a happy, peaceful, contented, loving person. It is amazing how happy you can be when you choose to devote your time and effort to being happy in this life.