THE Most Controversial Topic Ever… Religion…

04 Oct 2011 1 Comment

by Ariah Makhi in My Random Life, Uncategorized Tags: agnostic, atheism, atheist, beliefs, controversy, debate, faith, karma, non-belief, religion

I find it odd that for most people it’s ok to use the F word and other nasty words around children, but when you use the word penis in correlation/comparison to a touchy subject like religion… it’s suddenly the same as child pornography… Please understand the context of the word before comparing it to something as disgusting as that. Especially if you know anything about me and the life that I had as a child.

This is my profile, and I’m free to speak my mind about what I believe and don’t believe in…

I don’t believe that I have to have religion in my life to be a good person. I work hard, I take care of my family, I have given up nasty habits, I am working toward a better education so I can do better for my family, and give back to my extended family for all the things they’ve helped me with. These things in my mind, make me a good person.

Now, I don’t go to church, I don’t believe in God or Jesus. I have never kept this a secret, but I don’t go around boasting about it all the time and throwing these facts into peoples faces, like many people I know, and many more that I don’t know.. But every once in a while, the topic crosses my path through conversation brought about by others in person, or through mediums such as facebook… Rarely ever do I bring up the subject myself because of all the negativity surrounding it. And I make the horrid mistake of speaking my mind about it….

Then suddenly I’m a sick, demented individual because I agree with an ‘adult-minded’ metaphor and speak a little bit of my mind about the matter. I say that anyone is welcome to comment on it, but if they are to flame I will give it back three fold, because I don’t believe I should be insulted and ridiculed for my lack of belief when I don’t act like that toward anyone who does believe. It’s called respect.

But then I have to read things like the horrendous comment that was posted on here previously, and I’m told I shouldn’t dare give it back threefold… when all I did was agree that I don’t want religion thrown in my face or shoved into my child’s mind… yes through the use of a an adult humored metaphor that was meant to be funny for those who have the stomach for such humor… but nonetheless it was harmless. It’s not like I’m waving a flag all over town with that metaphor emblazoned upon it and taking it into schools for young minds to be swayed by it. It’s facebook, there are no children added to my friends, so there are no little minds to be hurt by the words in the picture above.

And so with all that said, I must now ask… Why is it that it’s perfectly alright for religious people to wave their beliefs in my face, and every single believer acts like they are the only ones who have the right to speak their minds… But when I speak my mind in any way at all, there is always someone, anyone who believes yet knows that I do not, who must speak of how wretched I am for not believing, and how shameful it is to agree with a simple metaphor that is meant only for adults and has harmed no one… I’m the one who is wrong, I’m the one to blame, I’m the one with a warped perception… And apparently all nonbelievers have no right to free speech and the freedom of expression, this is how almost all religious people act toward non religious people.

And on my own facebook profile I’m told I don’t dare say anything back!

I don’t believe in prayer… Yet many of my friends are always posting things in their status that say, pray for so n so, if you believe in god pass this on, etc… etc… you get the idea. I see these things and I simply go about my business. I don’t say nasty things to them because I think they believe in something ridiculous. I think to myself, well, so n so will get better with the proper medical attention, because I have faith in science and medicine… not prayer. But I don’t waste my time telling them these things and telling them I am disgusted with what they believe in, because everyone is free to believe or disbelieve in whatever they choose.

But as a nonbeliever, the moment I post in my status anything that has to do with supporting my lack of belief, I am attacked, and what’s worse is that I’m attacked by family. And I’m supposed to be swayed into thinking that they are right and I am wrong and there is no grey area and if I say anything in my defense there will be some reason to fear you? Well that certainly makes me feel like I’m free to express myself. That certainly makes me want to rush into a church and beg forgiveness from this amazingly “loving” god that you believe in, this unconditionally loving god who will only love those who worship him daily and beg his forgiveness, and without his forgiveness would have me burning in a pit of fire for all eternity.

What I find appalling is that many believers think that non believers are ignorant of what the bible teaches… That’s usually not the case. for instance I can tell you that the bible states that the devil is the best deceiver, and his greatest trick is to convince the world he doesn’t exist… or that he exists as something he is not…

(Now I’m going to do something called speculation…)

Perhaps the devil exists in the form of this selfish and insecure god who must have us all singing his praises day in and day out in order to earn his affection… This god who lets fathers rape their daughters, this god who lets mothers sit by cowardly knowing the pain and torture their husbands bring upon their children and yet do nothing about it.. Or vice versa. This god who lets us all fight and die in his name!

While the real truth could possibly be that if there really is a good and loving god, he just sits quietly in our hearts, waiting for us to know him by two simple names, Love and Peace, and that within our hearts is indeed the only place where these metaphorical gods and devils live, and the only heaven and hell that exist are those which we create for ourselves in this life!

So this is it. This is who I am. I don’t believe in god, nor will I teach my daughter to believe in god. I will teach her about what others believe god to be, and that she should question everything before she puts her faith in it, and I will allow her to choose her own faith or lack thereof, and I will still shower her with love even if I strongly disagree with whatever she chooses to believe in and I wont ever make her feel like I hate her for what she values in this life. Now does that make me a bad person? I certainly hope not…

Here is what I do believe in.

I believe in my own willpower. I believe in the goodness and willpower within the heart of every human being. I do not believe that I have to have a Bible or a preacher tell me that I have to be afraid of eternal hell and damnation in order for me to want to be a good person. I have taken strangers into my home so they would have a place to stay. I have taken people I knew to be liars and thieves into my home so they would not be on the streets. When I barely had enough money to feed myself, I have given to friends who needed it more than me. I have taken food out of my fridge to feed a neighbor’s child.

Now I’ve done my fair share of bad deeds too, and I’ve suffered for them, and learned from them. I’ve received good things in return for the good I’ve done as well. This is called Karma. This is the rule of the world that guides my life. As I’ve grown older and become a mother, karma has taken on a more serious role in my life. I live every moment of my life ruled by karma. There are very few things I can’t or wont forgive for reasons I feel are justified even if I know they aren’t entirely right. But those are decisions I can live with.

All in all, I try to make the best out of every situation. I strive to be a good person because that’s just who I am inside and that is who I wish to continue to be and I try with all my heart and soul to improve upon my own self worth by being the best Mom, Wife, Friend, and even worker, that I can be. I never claim to be perfect, I know I’m flawed, I can be selfish, I can be hateful, I can be lazy. I also understand that this is human nature and no amount of religious doctrine can change this. Without religion to guide me, I forgive, I make amends, I move on with my life and I struggle to do better, right along side all the rest of humanity.

Never during my journey in this life, do I ever, EVER say things to people about their faith that are intended to be cruel or hateful. Because I believe in Karma. Because I believe in intelligence, because I believe that some things are better left unsaid no matter how strongly I feel about it, and no matter my reasons for feeling that way. And because I genuinely have no desire to make others feel ashamed of what they believe in.

I only wish to express the simple fact that I don’t believe in god, and why. If feelings get hurt in the process, I feel it is only because someone took it personally when it wasn’t meant to be so. But I don’t hate others for what they believe, nor do I intend to make anyone feel that I do. Yet over and over I am ridiculed, insulted, even made out to be a devil worshiper! Just for voicing my opinion? Do I not give you the liberty to express yourself without such action aimed toward you? Why yes, yes I do give everyone that liberty.

So tell me what is so great about your faith? I’ve been there before, even singing in the choir! Never did my life get better until I stopped believing in God and started believing in my own ability to take control of my life and started making efforts to make it better.

So here’s my final word on the matter, again, this is who I am. If you can’t understand, that’s fine, I forgive you for that. If you wish to stop being a part of my life, I can even understand that. But don’t you dare presume that you are better than me simply because of your faith. Countless wars have been waged in the name of religion, millions have died by the name of some god. Even now you attack those who live peaceful lives without your god, maybe not with swords and guns, but your words cut just as deeply and hurt more than you will ever choose to understand.

So don’t insult me and attack me with your words and tell me I don’t dare give it back to you. What gives you the right? I didn’t attack you, I simply spoke my mind. If that’s the kind of intolerance you live your life by then I pity you, and I suggest you take a serious evaluation of your faith and what kind of person you have portrayed yourself as because of it.

Before any of you reply to this, I hope you have a solid understanding of everything I have said and don’t read anything into it that isn’t there. This is not for feeble minds, this is not for people who refuse to see another persons point of view. So if that’s you, then just stay out of the conversation. I want no part of your intolerance, and I’ll take whatever Karma deals to me as a result of saying so.

Now I realize that I’m opening myself up to a great deal of hateful and close-minded comments on this topic, because people will post them despite what I just said, but I’m willing to accept that if it opens the minds and hearts of at least one or two people in this world…

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