I comment on my last post from Carolyn Ann who I discovered when I looked at her blog is an atheist. Somewhere along the line I always knew I was going to set my stall out when it came to that particular subject.
I've always had a problem with organised religion from since I started school. It just didn't make sense. I was one of those kids who always had questions. Just before I started school there was a friend of the family who was an atheist. I remember asking him why he didn't believe in God. I can't remember what he said, but I remember my mother being told that he shouldn't be allowed to talk to me as he was evil for not believing in God. I thought he was great because he didn't fob me off when I asked about anything. My mother ignored them because she had known him since she was a kid and still talks about him fondly to this day.
I guess for most of my life I believed there was a God, but I rejected any organised religion.
I'm not that well educated. I went off to work at 16, but I do read a lot and I've seen people in horrendous situations around the world.
I've been through the mill a bit myself, but not nearly as bad as some people. The worst was when I lost my second wife, the love of my life. Her passing still hurts today. I never dressed up for about 2 years. I actually thought it had disappeared completely. When it came back it seemed different. She knew all about my dressing by the way.
Anyway in the past couple of years I've come to the conclusion that this God being does not exist. The fact is you've got this all powerful being who if you don't worship him you'll be punished. It's seems he'll get quite upset at a few things.In his defence we don't have anything actually written down by him, just accounts and interpretations of his will given to us by other humans. We have no proof that he really exists so that's where faith comes in. I'm sorry I can't have faith in something that I have no idea if it exists.
Organised religion itself is what really causes me a problem. I saw a film called The Corporation, about how public companies operate. It made the point that if a corporation was a living being it would classed as a psychopath. It comes first regardless, and has no conscience about how it makes profit. The film explains it really well, better than I can. That's why we have regulators and laws governing them.
Organised religions seem similar to corporations if left to their own devices the result can be loads of people ending up dead like we've seen throughout history and even now, if you don't conform to their view. Thankfully in most countries religion like every thing else has to respect the laws of the state. It can be a problem when religion makes the law. First casualty is usually freedom of expression.
In my view organised religion is about control and making money.
I'm not an atheist, I just don't know what happens after we die. It would be nice to think we do go on and I don't have a problem with religious people as long as they don't tell me how I should think.
All I do know is that I try to live my life without hurting anyone, and try to be the best person I can.
