My Religion | Teen Ink

My Religion MAG

By Anonymous

I have a magnet on my mirror stating, “Life is not about finding yourself – life is about creating yourself.” This is the statement I live by.

Many people do not believe me when I say I am an atheist. They don’t understand that I simply do not believe in any sort of god or afterlife. I also do not believe in the devil, in angels, or in souls. I believe in myself and the strength I have gained through the help of my parents, teachers, and friends – and my own hard work.

I am not going to try to dissuade anyone from his or her own opinions either. I know that people enjoy having religion in their lives; some need their faith to help them through hard times. And some do not want the responsibility of their misfortunes weighing down on their shoulders.

I do. I abhor the idea of fate – that everything is already planned out and you have no control to change anything. If you believe in fate, when bad things happen, it is not your fault; it’s just fate. When my life is not going well, I know that it is no one’s fault but my own. When I do well in school, when I fall in love, it is not fate and we are not soul mates. I worked hard and paid attention and did the homework. My love and I simply love each other – that is all it is, and for me that is all it needs to be.

For some, life is overwhelming. How can anyone be successful and happy in such a difficult, horrible world? They need someone to help them, someone to guide them, and someone to have faith in to make sure things get better. Placing my success and happiness in another’s hands breaks my heart. I need to be successful because of my efforts. I must be responsible for my own happiness. That is what I need from my religion.

Who will ever know what the truth really is? All I know is in the same way that some have full faith and trust in God to give them hope, I need to believe I am on my own to be truly happy – for how can I create myself if I spend my entire life just looking?



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This article has 764 comments.


on Jan. 26 2011 at 12:42 pm
I personally don't care if anyone attacks me, but this is what I think as a Chris.tain: secularism is the poison to the world. It teaches lies and phony stuff in the world. It brainwashes the weak into believing that there is no God in the universe. There is a God and His name is Jehovah (or Iehovah), He is full of Mercy, Love, and Grace. But get Him on His angry side and you will see His wrath. His wrath in unfathomable.

on Jan. 26 2011 at 9:47 am
All is forgiven, but that last part (excuse me for my ignorance), didn't quite make sense "then i suddenly became obama". First off I don't like our president, I'm a Republican and I don't like Democrats. What he is for, I'm against.

leafy said...
on Jan. 25 2011 at 12:49 pm
ok, sorry for saying you were yelling. but if you call that love, compassion, and mercy, then i suddenly became obama.

on Jan. 25 2011 at 9:17 am
Okayyyyyyyy. Do you want to call this a truce and be friends or not? It's just I have a major issue with this "evolution". I don't believe in it. Sheesh, you don't have to be bent out of shape. Calm down.

on Jan. 25 2011 at 9:14 am
I know that Vital_Cirtic. I'm not yelling, I'm making a point. Yeah, one thing is for sure: this world hates me while I show love, compassion and, mercy. If you just don't like me, then don't comment on my comment and I'll leave you be.

leafy said...
on Jan. 24 2011 at 6:26 pm
lol jack, i like your take on kao's summary of life and death. even though i do think there is a god, most of my friends don't have a religion, and one of them is a very extreme atheist. he basically believes that there was no beginning and that there will be no end of earth and that when he dies, he's just dead. that's it. he's fertilizer

leafy said...
on Jan. 24 2011 at 6:22 pm
ok navi, you don't need to be all preachy about it. i believe in a god, but i don't yell at everyone who doesn't. and while the author's views might be different than mine, i can at least appreciate that its a good piece of writing. 

on Jan. 24 2011 at 5:26 pm
SomethingLikeFire BRONZE, Mchenry, Illinois
1 article 1 photo 47 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Pippin: What about elevenses? Luncheon? Afternoon tea? Dinner? Supper? He knows about them, doesn&#039;t he?&quot; - <br /> -- The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring

i dont really have a religion but im not a complete ahteis. i think this is an awesome piece and i really see where ur coming from.

 

i also agree w/StarredCritic- religion is the fine lie btwn obsession and passion. there r some ppl who just want nothing with it. enough said.


Vital_Critic said...
on Jan. 24 2011 at 5:23 pm
Vital_Critic, LA, California
0 articles 0 photos 6 comments

I dont need You to pray for me Navi. I am fine the way i am. Get it right even Indiana Jones knows that Jehovah  is spelled with an "I".

 


Vital_Critic said...
on Jan. 24 2011 at 5:20 pm
Vital_Critic, LA, California
0 articles 0 photos 6 comments
excuse me, but i do not think i was talking to you. And the person i was talking to, happened to "Attack" my "beliefs". my beliefs that religion is another way to make people conform. stay out of this. :D

on Jan. 24 2011 at 10:13 am

AgnotTheOdd, I have a question for you: why do you hate God so much? I'm puzzled. Is it something that happen within your life that made you bitter or, something subtracted in your life that makes you think this way?

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." -John 3:16


on Jan. 24 2011 at 10:05 am
Vital_Critic, keep your "veiw" out of this. I'm a Born-Again Chris.tian and I'm proud of it! Nothing can change my belief nor, can any person on earth. Stop attacking Chris.tians!  

on Jan. 23 2011 at 1:42 pm

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." -John 3:16 

There is only ONE GOD and his name is JEHOVAH. I disagree, and pray you get it right.


on Jan. 23 2011 at 12:23 pm
FirtziesLover13, Cheyenne, Wyoming
0 articles 0 photos 8 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Love is a gift that must be cared for and looked after&quot; -Daniel Radcliffe

yes why must religion be in everything? religion is a way for someone to control others livves without it being so.

on Jan. 22 2011 at 1:03 am
TheBirdman1014 SILVER, Coxsackie, New York
6 articles 0 photos 11 comments
Ryan, I'll play along and say: you can't. That does not, in any way, prove the existence of a god. If you can't know anything, you certainly can not know of a God.

Ryan Pasco said...
on Jan. 21 2011 at 7:34 pm
Ryan Pasco, Plymouth, Massachusetts
0 articles 0 photos 1 comment
Our society has taken a disturbing trend towards the rational. "If there is not proof", it is reasoned, "why should one believe?" I raise the question: how can one prove anything? There is no way, empirically or not, to determine the proof of any theory. To claim "I have to see it to believe it" assumes that eyes are not faulty. It is an assumption that our world exists. When we begin making logical decisions based on our assumed understanding of the world, all sorts of rationality flies out the window. Even science, prized by champions of logic, is based on the assumptions of natural causality and uniformity of time and space. There is no more proof in our existence than proof in Moon Rabbits. Honestly, how can you know anything?

on Jan. 20 2011 at 8:08 pm
WrItEr2010 BRONZE, Durango, Colorado
4 articles 0 photos 15 comments
yah. that is really depressing. if one of your relatives died, that would be soooo horrible.

cr8artchick said...
on Jan. 20 2011 at 5:33 pm
cr8artchick, Yorba Linda California, California
0 articles 0 photos 7 comments
Well, at least you apply a fundamental teaching of religion, love. to your life. I've read many articles on pro- and con religion, and am glad that you explained your reasoning rather that pointing fingers the whole time.

Vital_Critic said...
on Jan. 19 2011 at 6:40 pm
Vital_Critic, LA, California
0 articles 0 photos 6 comments
no, we are not. Religion is almost a way of control, created thousands of years ago when people could not explain things. Now that we have advanced, and can explain many things, we dont need this religion to help us understand. Religion is a waste of time, a way to make a priest molesting a child look acceptable, a way to keep a patriarchal society, a way from keeping people achievingtheir dreams. Let people do what they want, and keep religion out of it.

Vital_Critic said...
on Jan. 18 2011 at 5:54 pm
Vital_Critic, LA, California
0 articles 0 photos 6 comments
no, we are not. Religion is almost a way of control, created thousands of years ago when people could not explain things. Now that we have advanced, and can explain many things, we dont need this religion to help us understand. Religion is a waste of time, a way to make a priest molesting a child look acceptable, a way to keep a patriarchal society, a way from keeping people achievingtheir dreams. Let people do what they want, and keep religion out of it.