atheism.

after god delusion, i had a period in life that could only be characterized as violent transition, a rebellion. i remained aggressively opposed to religion. often using profanities and resorting to meaningless chatter on irrationality of personal belief. i was militant. i was intolerant.

years went by and my senses told me that i have built my own temple. my own religion. my own god in atheism. i have become so enamored to the idea of being a rebel that i had destroyed valuable friendships and turned blind eyes on the goodness of religion, only focusing on one aspect. i have become the intolerant monster that i was so violently criticizing.

richard dawkins had opened many eyes and offered valuable insights as a leading figure in atheist culture. i refrain from calling it atheist movement, because it is not. atheism should only be viewed as a lifestyle. a culture. a personal choice to not believe. the words of mr. dawkins have been militant and aggressive. maybe that was the draw. i have only the sincerest respect for mr. dawkins, but he has made our culture into a movement. a movement that is intolerant and bickering.

as an american, i am programmed to refer to the first amendment. free citizens have the right to believe. freedom of religion and opinion. atheism is not a religion, but an opinion. as long as we are protected from persecution and intolerance, we must acknowledge the value of this freedom and respect the freedom acted by others.

god delusion focused on the deleterious effects of religion on human development. but i must set the record straight. religion has given numberless people hope. it has helped millions upon millions to value life, care for others, and love each other. while some fundamentalists bring down the wtc, others have saved millions of lives under the name of god.

we often view the world from one aspect. only through our biased lens. but before making judgment, one must look at the world from all different sides. its not black and white. we cannot imagine what is beheld by others. we can only assume. the inaccuracy is why we should respect the opinions of others. we do not know what, how, and why others see and why we do not.

atheism is a value. not a creed.