All of you who don’t believe in Horus, I just want you to know, “HORUS LOVES YOU!”

Suppose you lived in Egypt 2,500 years ago, and your friends, family, and culture constantly told you that the god Horus loved you. That not worshiping Horus would lead to a lousy afterlife, and that evil things would befall you here-and-now if you didn’t repent. People would also urge you to develop a personal relationship with Horus, as that would give you clout with Him, and might improve the chances that Horus would fulfill your prayers.

You would have two choices. You could follow cultural dictates, or rebel and be branded an atheist, a non-believer. In that case, you would surely be warned that you were sinning, reminded that life is not worth living without gods, and you’d likely be asked why you were so angry. But then, you might be tempted to speak up.

When asked why you don’t believe, you might say that “There is no evidence that Horus exists.” Believers would ask you to prove your claim, but then you would remind them that the burden of proof rests with the person making the claim and not with the person who is unconvinced.

Your coup de grâce would remind believers that the word “faith” is just a fancy way of saying “deeply held opinion.” You’d also mention that everyone has an opinion and that opinions are just that—opinions. And without incontrovertible evidence, one mythological god is just as ethereally unjustified as another.

The modern reader, when faced with these arguments, would have the same challenge, because there is about as much real evidence for Jesus of Nazareth as there is for Horus. When you believe something, it is more than fine to believe it. It is okay to live your life by your beliefs, especially if you do not mind changing your behavior to conform to your ideas. However, when you treat your beliefs like universal truths, create laws that require others to conform to your beliefs, that’s when the problems start. Especially if there is no indisputable evidence to support your claims. You are then merely relying on faith and trying to convince people that what you believe is true for them, as well. This is an enforcement of your will and perspective on someone else, this is rude, and it may be harmful. If the information you are trying to impart to people is factual, then it should be able to survive tests of reason, logic, and rationality. It should also be measurable, testable and falsifiable—otherwise, it’s just an opinion.

As a nonbeliever, living a life that is disagreeable to your family, culture, and friends is tough. But not being true to yourself is painful and ignoring reality can lead to an attachment to delusions. Claims need to be able to survive the microscope, even if they urge us to live well. It’s not enough that our beliefs are listed in old holy books, or that they are held up by faith. When our beliefs are based on evidence, we then see reality as it is, not just as we want it to be. This allows us to be in tune with logic, reason and our emotions. This requires us to test and understand information before accepting it as true instead of just pretending that it is true. Truth must be validated to be authentic. This is why we don’t believe in Horus, and why it would be ridiculous to assume that he loves us.