Simply stated, I believe the natural world accounts for everything that happens. This means there is no room for any supernatural or mystical stuff. Since I don’t believe in the supernatural, then I don’t believe in any gods. This makes me an atheist.

Frequently people react with alarm when they hear that I’m an atheist. They might say, “well then, you must not believe in anything,” or, “how can you have any meaning in your life?” My reaction is quite definite; I do believe in something, and I do find meaning in my life.

The first point: I believe in the power of the collective human mind. By this I mean that disciplined thinkers, drawing from the knowledge legacy of thinkers before them, will apply this knowledge to those problems confronting humankind in the future.

The second point: meaning in my life comes from my efforts to help the human species survive. I can think of no greater purpose.

You may be imagining a fly on an elephant’s hind end when you think of me imaging myself helping the human species survive, but here is why I look at it that way:

Being an atheist in a society awash in religious thinking, I find myself constantly swimming upstream. I find myself looking for ways of expressing rational thoughts to a society that is most comfortable with faith-type themes. I am slowly learning how to do this, with a lot of help from the school of hard knocks.

I see an unprecedented problem facing humankind in the next decade or so, the need to convert its energy base to non-fossil fuels. I see no way for civilization to do this successfully other than through clear rational thinking. I feel I can play a significant role in helping society begin to accept rational thinking as a valid way of approaching this daunting problem.

My atheistic belief has evolved mostly later in my life. I was raised in the Christian tradition, and held those beliefs into my 40’s. I began to have serious doubts while teaching a class of high school young people at church. The topic was how science relates to religion. To my surprise, I found explanations in the teacher’s manual unconvincing to me. I still remember the example of the human eye, held out as evidence of such complexity that it must have required a God as a designer. Shortly thereafter, out of my burning curiosity, I got a copy of Richard Dawkins’ book, “The Blind Watchmaker,” and found a very convincing explanation on the human eye from the perspective of Darwinian Evolution.

The change in my beliefs blossomed into full-blown atheism as I turned 60, when I found many like-minded cohorts through the wonderful world of cyberspace. I now feel my atheistic beliefs are on firm footing, and will provide me my foundation for my remaining years.

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