I grew up as a Christian. Until I was 21, I thought the world was 6,000 years old, that homosexuals were evil, that the Bible was literal, that Republicans were smart and that Jesus was the best thing ever. Now, I think the exact opposite. Jesus never existed and was probably created by the Romans to control their empire and squash Jewish Zionism, homosexuals are just normal people doing something that shouldn’t fucking bother anyone, the Bible is a load of bronze age horse shit, and evolution and modern science is way more interesting and believable than a talking snake and a couple of naked peopled.

Question everything. The cosmos are an amazing place, and it’s fucking cool to try and explore how we got here. Don’t limit your understanding by simply saying that “god did it”. Wonder why clouds are what they are, or what the sun is made out of. Wonder why we do what we do. Think about your emotions, your feelings, and what goes on inside of your head. Look at the research being done in neuroscience, psychology, biology, and every other field of science. More than every, we understand how little we really know and we are trying to figure out how things work. If religion had its way, we would still think that the world was flat and that disease was demons trying to torture us. The Earth is no longer the center of the universe.

Look, I spent the first 21 years of my life being a hardcore, right-wing religious zealot. I was born again and full of the holy spirit. I bought into the narrow world view of closed minded people. Thankfully I realized that the world is much bigger and much better than anything taught in Sunday school.

If you believe in god, really ask yourself why you do. If you are convinced of your faith, then you should be able to defend it and look at it objectively. Think of why you believe what you do, and wonder what you would believe if you were born in Iraq, India, Uganda, or Chile. How much of your world view is shaped by the culture around you?

I asked these questions, and many more to myself and the answer finally became clear to me: I don’t believe in any gods. I am an atheist. I believe in human rights for everyone. I think that everyone working together and ignoring personal prejudice and hatred is the key to peace. Religion has caused more harm than good.

If I had read this ten years ago, I would have thought that the person writing it was crazy. I know where you are coming from. I used to believe. Now that I don’t, my life is better. I am more in tune with myself and my mental health. I am more interested in science and philosophy. I care more about the people around me. I am more interested in the well-being of third world countries.

Look at the world around you, and wonder at everything you see. You will find that everything is better than you believed. Don’t accept everything you grew up believing. Address your doubts. Search for answers. Never stop learning.

Think about what you believe. Question everything. Look at the world around you, and wonder at everything you see. You will find that everything is better than you believed. Don’t accept everything you grew up believing. Address your doubts. Search for answers. Never stop learning.