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I changed from being an agnostic (saying I wasn't sure about things) to an
atheist when I was about 17. The reason had nothing to do with hating
christians or moral arguments but with science. Science has enormous
amounts of evidence showing how the universe, solar system, earth, life and
eventually humans came to be here. Due to the cumulative nature of
science, more evidence is found every day and it always backs a natural
universe. The evidence doesn't exactly disprove some vague god that set
the forces of evolution in motion but it does disprove every known religion
on the planet. Every religion has made claims that we know as fact cannot
be true. It wasn't hate but scientific honesty that lead me to my
conclusion.
Religion did however play a role in my becoming an atheist. When I was young people told me that I was free to choose my beliefs. I slowly began to notice that parents and friends were very supportive of christianity and offered only arguments or silence towards atheism. The turning point for me was probably my second year in a public high school when I took the mandatory biology class and the one day for evolution had arrived. I (being a teenager and enjoying a good controversy) was looking forward to this day. My biology instructor (I can't remember her name) addressed the class by saying she was forced by the school administration to present evolution, that she believed in christianity and that she did not believe in evolution and that we should remember it was 'only a theory'. She then gave a one sentence explanation for natural selection and proceeded to spend the rest of the hour comforting the religious. I knew adults and society were concealing something from me so (being a teenager) proceeded to learn and think things I wasn't supposed to. I do not credit religion with my learning about atheism because a scientific explanation for the universe is not just obviously rational but is the only rational explanation available that fits the know data; if it had been openly taught I probably would have accepted it just like and other fact such as a round earth. I do not consider those who became atheists from fleeing religious oppression or through moral arguments to be the same type of atheist. The distinction I make between them and me is that they believe in atheism because it feels good. I am an atheist because that is what science and the evidence say is true. If new data contradicted my beliefs then I would change them. Many atheists in their quest to define a moral code feel the need to attribute morality to atheism. I don't believe that atheism teaches morality and excepting the big universal truths doesn't really make individuals any more truthful in their everyday lives. Atheism does lead to a different basis of morality than religion but that is the only connection I can see. In short, I consider atheism to be the truth only because that is what science and the available evidence says is true.
Sincerely, |