Hello, I hope you take the time to read this, because I have a
need to communicate with other athiests. After reading about your
growing up years, I find that I have had similar experiences. My
first questioning about a god, was when I was about 6 years old,
when all of a sudden it occured to me that when I die, I would be
dead forever. I did not dwell on that idea, but it remained at the
back of my mind. As the years went by, things I learned and observed
just substantiated my idea that there was no god. I have always been
very interested in science, and I have observed subtle changes in
behaviors. I have observed that certain behaviors would allow a species
to reproduce, and others would hinder reproduction. So
Darwin may not have been completely accurate, but he had the right
ideas. The behaviors of a species have to fit with the environemntal
situation that exists. Evolution does exist. In fact, I feel there
is enough information about evolution to take evoultion out of being
a theory and say it is a fact. To me, evolution is a FACT, and I
know that I evolved.
Religion, or god, is not a fact. God was invented by people to
help them explain their fears about the world around them. Just imagine
how many thousands of years men worshiped many gods before the "single
god theory" developed. There is no proof that there is any god.
The main argument is that this complicated universe, with complicated
animal and plant species could not have just happened, through evolution.
A god would be the only way it could come about. That is rubbish! The
only way it could have happened is through evolution, step by step
minute changes. . Minute chemical changes that deveolped over billions
and millions of years. Most men just can not imagine such lengths of
time, where evolutionary processes can mold life, and therefore they
connect the physical world with a god. Most men have heard the phrase, "If
evoultion could not explain the existance of the universe, then where
did this complicated god come from?" For a god to exist, it would
have to have evolved too, or it would have had to have, at least a
parent, which would have had to evolve, but I think that if a being,
complicated enoiugh to create the universe and living species could
evolve, then the unverse and living things could have just as well
evolved without the middle man, "god"
Sorry, but I digress. I also had a grandfather that had a farm.
I spent all my growing up summers there where I could observe nature
and become aware of subtle changes. What many people don't realize
is that within a species many variences in physical structure, and
behavioral attitude exist. The members of a species may all look
alike, but they are not exactly alike. Unless one has taken the time
to really observe these differences, then they may not be apparent.
Some may be genetic or chemical, and not be observable. When an environmental
change occurs, there may be certain members of that species that
have the genetic potential to addapt to the change, while the others,
that don't have the necessary addaptive behaviors, do not reproduce.
(Survival of the fittest) I believe that the members of many species
having become too much alike, put themselves at risk, when environmental
change occurs they are not able to adapt and their species becomes
extinct. Many people work hard to stop certain species from becomming
extinct, but I feel, that those species have evolved out to the end
of a limb, and they don't have enough genetic or physical differences
within their species to adapt to the environmental change they find
themselves in. The more variety of physical and behavioral differences
that exist , within a species, allow it to adapt to environmental
change, and therefore extinction is less likely.
Well, I am completely an athiest. I even have come to resent the
stupidity of many people that want to follow the dictates of their
religion, without opening their minds to other possibilities. They
ignore the findings of scientists, and geologists and cling to
their religion. One concession I have, is that when I die, I will
have known the truth , and all those other people, thinking they
are going to heaven or wherever their religion sends them, will die
not knowing that they have been hood winked their entire lives.
What about heaven? What would be in heaven? The physical body we
know will remain here on earth. If "the soul" would exist,
it would probably be some flimsy, or misty like thing. It would have
no body, no mouth. There would be no need to eat, because there would
be no body to nourish. There would be no sex, because the sexual
structures are part of the physical body that died and is burried
in the earth. Now, "Heaven" would be like hell. Here you
would remain for eternity, no body, no eating, no sex, and nothing
to do. There would be no trees, or hills, or flowers, nor rivers
and lakes or oceans, because these are all physical structures of
the Earth. One would spend eternity doing nothing, in a place with
no physical structures. . You would also not be finding your long
lost mother, or father, or loved one, in heaven, because with no
physical bodies, you would not even recognize anyone. The physical
body we would recognize would be burried in the earth. Also, understanding
the ever changing and evolving universe, where would heaven be?
Oh yes, one last thing, there were some comments, to you, about
if you were actually an athiest, you would not have gotten married
in a church, had your children baptized etc. etc. That is because
those people don't understand. I encouraged my children to go to
church. I went to church, when I was growing up, until I finally
realized that it was all false. I was married in a church. I feel
that it was my responsibility to allow my children to get an understanding
of religion, since most of the people they would encounter in their
lives, would probably be religious. . Because I was an athiest
did no mean that they would want to be the same. One of my sons is
religious, and the other is an athiest. I never ever said anything
against the church, while they were growing up. I did teach them
about science and offer the ability to become aware of the world
around them, That is all! I have to say that I also never built up
anything about religion, and never discussed it, because I would
be untruthful if I talked about a god that I knew did not exists.
When my youngest son was about 18, and had come home from his first
year of college, where he had studied comparative religions, he asked
me directly if I believed in God. I told him I did not, and he said
that he sort of thought that. He is the athiest, like myself, and
also my wife, and he came to his conclusions by hemself.
Thank you, I hope you lasted to the end.
Bob H. |