Why does it matter anyway?

The choice of whether or not to believe in a God as the creator of the universe and everything in it, as a protector who we can talk to and who answers our prayers, as a designer who planned our birth and death and everything that ever happens on the planet is surely the single most important decision that anyone can ever make.

The decision whether or not to believe in a God defines you as a human being. Totally. It is shameful that so many people never confront the thorny issue of their mortality, preferring to take solace in the promise of everlasting life. Even more shameful are those who deep down know that this is a ridiculous notion but who cower behind self proclaimed agnosticism unable or unwilling to come to terms with the greatest question ever to face mankind.

It influences your outlook on the value of our short lives on the earth by placing them (or not) in the context of an eternity in paradise. It governs your understanding of the world and how it works. We have all seen the lives wasted directly as a result of such belief in the everlasting. However it doesn't take a terrorist to cause lives to be wasted by such beliefs. Consider for a moment that God does not exist at all. Doesn't that make the billions of dollars spent building churches, mosques, pyramids, temples seem like a waste? Doesn't it make the billions of hours spent by people kneeling in prayer seem like a waste? What about the millions who have died in wars? Another waste? A crime?

To not even consider such a possibility is inexcusable.

Religion thrives on unthinking, uncritical, ignorance. This terrible condition is held up as a virtue by the churches and given a name: Faith.

By embracing all that is faith is to surely waste our very humanity. It is to render ourselves bovine-like, trundling along with heads bowed to the tune of the herder. The willingness to sacrifice so much of this short life to ensure our place in the afterlife is surely a waste perhaps more tragic than even premature death for it is the willing entry into a state of living-death.

There is of course the antithesis to faith and that is evidence. It is by examining evidence, critically and rigorously that the scientific method is developed. It is the key to understanding the nature of our lives and the physical world in which we live.

It is hoped that by reading this blog and visiting the sites linked to below can help raise self esteem through the courageous process of coming to terms with this important issue and being able to proudly discover who we are and our role in the cycle of life.