Some of you know my thoughts on religion.  Some of you probably don't.  I hope this doesn't come as too much of a shock to anyone, but put plainly, ... I don't believe in God.

If you didn't know this about me, there are reasons.  You may have wondered about my religious beliefs, noticing that I never go to church or chime in with an "amen" following prayers.  When someone, for instance, says "the Lord works in mysterious ways", I remain silent.  My silence is out of respect.  I don't want to criticize anyone's beliefs or start debates.

So, why have I included this page on my web site?  The first reason is a selfish one, I suppose.  It is a fact that my atheism partly defines me, whether I like it or not.  And I, like most other people, want to be accepted for the person that I am.  This web page allows me to let people know my beliefs without being preachy.  It's important to me that I don't force my beliefs down others' throats, mainly because I hate it when others do it to me.  When you read this page, I know it's because you chose to, and not because you are a captive audience.

Another, perhaps more important reason for this page is one that I guess makes me something of an activist.  I never would have figured myself as such, but I suppose the shoe fits.  It's rare that I hear people comment on atheism.  It's just not something that comes up often in everyday conversation.  But when I do, nine times out of ten, atheists are referred to negatively.  Atheists are immoral or they're out to ruin this country or they're stupid or maybe they're just plain evil.  I hope that people don't see me like this.  And I hope that by serving as an example, I can help change the prejudice that atheists often face.

The last reason for this page is to help educate.  Atheism can be confusing, and a discussion on the subject generally leads to a lot of questions.  Hopefully I can answer some of those questions here.  In fact, I've written the rest of this page in a question-answer format.  The following are my answers to some common questions I've heard.

Why don't you believe in God?

I don't believe in a god because I don't think there's any good evidence that a god exists. It's that simple.

But how do you know there is no God?

I don't.  I honestly don't know whether or not there is a god.  I believe that the existence of god is unproven, not disproven.

If you don't know, doesn't that make you an agnostic and not an atheist?

In my opinion, it makes me both. I usually refer to myself as an "agnostic atheist." I base this on the definitions of agnosticism as the lack of knowledge of God and atheism as simply the lack of belief in gods, not the outright denial of them.  This gets a little tricky because sometimes people disagree on the definitions of these terms.  Honestly, though, you can refer to me as either or both.  The labels don't change my beliefs, which Ingersoll summed up nicely when he said, "I do not deny.  I do not know – but I do not believe."

All right, so what kind of "evidence" would convince you that God exists?

Astronomer Carl Sagan said, "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." Applied to this issue, I like to say that godly claims require godly evidence. Frankly, it would take very solid evidence for me to believe. Books written hundreds of years ago, and personal anecdotes will likely never convince me. Perhaps a new "miracle", witnessed the world over, with no other possible explanations would do the trick.

You used to believe in God, didn't you?

Yes.  I once believed in God; I was a Christian.  People sometimes think that I must have never "truly" believed, but please take my word for it.  I sincerely did.

What changed your mind?

Well, it wasn't some dramatic event that changed my belief overnight.  It happened slowly over time.  I guess it started when I began to look at religion from other perspectives and realized that there are so many different religions that think that they're right and everyone else is wrong.  I began to wonder how I knew that my religion was the right one.  How did I know that what I was taught is true?  How could I know if any religion is true?   I spent nearly ten years "wondering."  Sometime in 2000, I began to seriously look at how I would answer the question "do you believe in God?"  After a lot of thought, I realized that, to be honest, I had to answer, "no."

Do you think that you'll ever change your mind again and come back to religion?

No.  I honestly don't.  Probably no more than religious people think that they'll ever become atheists.  I admit it's a possibility.

With no religion as a guide, what do you base morality on?

I think that morality is subjective and situational.  What is moral in one situation for one person is not necessarily moral for another person in another situation.  I suppose I got most of my personal morals from my parents, as most people probably do.  But in a larger sense, I think that society naturally develops a moral code because it helps us survive and makes life more pleasant.  For example, I don't run around stealing whatever I want because I don't want others to take my food, shelter, etc.  That isn't the kind of world I want to live in.

If you don't believe in God, then where do you think we came from?

I don't know.   I think science it telling us a great deal about the mechanisms of how we came to be with big bang cosmology, evolution, etc.  But it is silent when we examine whether or not there is an ultimate cause behind it all. What, if anything, started it all? I honestly don't know.

What do you think happens when you die, then?

Again, I don't know. And I'm comfortable saying that. I guess I don't need to know the answer to everything. Maybe there is an "afterlife." Or maybe our consciousness just ceases to exist. When the time comes, I'm sure I'll face death with great curiosity. But for the time being, I'll concentrate on this life and on making it a happy one for me and for those that I love.

Doesn't atheism seem negative to you?

No.  On one hand, there are many positive aspects to atheism.  With atheism comes a great freedom.  With no god watching over us, we're free to shape our own future.  We're free to dream and to think for ourselves.  No "original sin" means no unnecessary guilt.  We're only responsible for our own actions.  (And with no gods or devils pulling our strings, we're truly responsible.)  If there is no promise of an afterlife, this life becomes all the more precious.  Every day is to be cherished.  If no god created us, the fact that we and this universe even exist becomes all the more wondrous.  There is honesty and relief and room for curiosity when we admit "We don't know; we don't have all the answers."

On the other hand, it doesn't matter whether it is positive or negative.  Atheism, to me, is a fact.  It's just the way things are.  Is the fact that I can't fly or that I need oxygen to survive negative?  The sky is blue.  The existence of god is unproven.  I couldn't believe otherwise if I wanted to.


Well, that's probably enough questions for now.  I hope that all makes at least some sense.  If you have other questions or would just like to talk about atheism, feel free to strike up a conversation.  I generally love to discuss the subject.  I ask only one thing in any discussion on the matter.  I don't want to convert you.  Please don't set out to convert me.

Take care.  

- Kirby