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.


Bug16 GOLD said...
on Mar. 5 2013 at 6:48 pm
Bug16 GOLD, Bedford, Texas
17 articles 4 photos 13 comments

Favorite Quote:
If at first you do succeed, try not to look astonished.<br /> ~Anonymous<br /> <br /> Advice for life: Don&#039;t Die

Thank you AcrossTheUniverse!  I couldn't have said it better myself.

on Mar. 3 2013 at 9:56 pm
AcrossTheUniverse BRONZE, Hondo, Texas
2 articles 0 photos 60 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Go confidentally in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you&#039;ve always imagined.&quot; -Thoreau

Ephesians basically says God chose us and plans for us to be with God. How many times have your plans gone wrong? God sets God's will before us and we choose whether or not we will accept or reject. As for Bible references to free will, please refer to THE FALL OF HUMANITY in chapter 3 of Genesis. Adam and Eve chose to sin; likewise, humankind still can choose to sin. Sin in itself is a choice and choices require free will. Therefore, sin cannot exist without free will.

on Mar. 3 2013 at 9:56 pm
AcrossTheUniverse BRONZE, Hondo, Texas
2 articles 0 photos 60 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Go confidentally in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you&#039;ve always imagined.&quot; -Thoreau

Ephesians basically says God chose us and plans for us to be with God. How many times have your plans gone wrong? God sets God's will before us and we choose whether or not we will accept or reject. As for Bible references to free will, please refer to THE FALL OF HUMANITY in chapter 3 of Genesis. Adam and Eve chose to sin; likewise, humankind still can choose to sin. Sin in itself is a choice and choices require free will. Therefore, sin cannot exist without free will.

erhmagerd21 said...
on Feb. 26 2013 at 10:00 am
Thank you! I'm so glad I'm not the only one who agrees!

on Feb. 11 2013 at 8:28 pm
Mr.packerbear12 SILVER, Minnesota Lake, Minnesota
5 articles 0 photos 105 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Judge lest not you be judged&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Take the plank out of your own eye before the speck out of your brother&#039;s&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;live each day as if it&#039;s your last&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;God doesn&#039;t give you what you can handle, He helps you handle what you are given&quot;

i challenge you to read ephesians 1 and i also challenge you to show me anywhere in the bible that it talks about free will or is it just your pastor telling you that.

on Feb. 3 2013 at 2:24 pm
IndigoElisabeth SILVER, Woodbury, New Jersey
5 articles 1 photo 171 comments

Favorite Quote:
John 1:1

Heather C.: Good for you! I am also a 13-year-old born again Christian and I share all the beliefs you have posted on here. Way to go! Everyone, you should listen to Heather, she knows what she's talking about.

on Feb. 3 2013 at 2:10 pm
IndigoElisabeth SILVER, Woodbury, New Jersey
5 articles 1 photo 171 comments

Favorite Quote:
John 1:1

OK, wait a second. How does the Bible "contradict" itself? One of the most amazing things about the Bible is that it agrees with itself even though it was written over a period of hundreds of years.

on Feb. 3 2013 at 2:07 pm
IndigoElisabeth SILVER, Woodbury, New Jersey
5 articles 1 photo 171 comments

Favorite Quote:
John 1:1

We didn't come from apes. Missing link, anyone? Last time I checked, the missing link was STILL missing!

Sam38 BRONZE said...
on Jan. 23 2013 at 6:10 pm
Sam38 BRONZE, Miami, Florida
1 article 0 photos 2 comments
How am I being a hater? I'm just stating the definition of atheism.

on Jan. 23 2013 at 4:41 pm
AcrossTheUniverse BRONZE, Hondo, Texas
2 articles 0 photos 60 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Go confidentally in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you&#039;ve always imagined.&quot; -Thoreau

You have a strong, but not overbearing voice. Not all Christians (if any) believe in fate: there's free will that led to the fall of humanity in the first place. If you make a mistake, God will forgive you but your knees will still sting from the fall. I know my own capabilities but I also believe in "a higher power." (Isn't that a rather vague term?) Sorry for launching into a theology discussion. Please reply if you disagree.

on Jan. 23 2013 at 4:35 pm
AcrossTheUniverse BRONZE, Hondo, Texas
2 articles 0 photos 60 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Go confidentally in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you&#039;ve always imagined.&quot; -Thoreau

Don't be a hater. It's difficult to explain faith.

Sam38 BRONZE said...
on Jan. 10 2013 at 5:46 am
Sam38 BRONZE, Miami, Florida
1 article 0 photos 2 comments
Not even a belief system really...the definition is simply a lack of belief in a god, so it's hardly a belief at all.

on Oct. 1 2012 at 5:51 pm
mudnainah BRONZE, Barikville, Washington
3 articles 0 photos 16 comments

Favorite Quote:
it&#039;s not in everything that you find happiness, but in happiness you shall find everything.

I believe in God and I believe in myself as well. Though the belief in one's self and the belief in god are two entirely different things. When you believe in yourself, you believe in your capabilities. When you believe in God, you believe in the existence of a Creator. :)  But good post... 

on Jun. 25 2012 at 3:01 pm
BlueRain BRONZE, Clarkston, Michigan
2 articles 5 photos 254 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you was beyond my control.&quot;

The argument from ignorance doesn't fly, it isn't proof. "I can't understand how this and this happened, no one can put it in simple talk for me, and I don't think anyone else knows, therefore it happened like this, because there is no other answer that is good enough for me."

You're right though, some things cannot be logical, like faith, which is belief Without proof, and logical processes rely on proof.


on Jun. 25 2012 at 2:35 pm
BlueRain BRONZE, Clarkston, Michigan
2 articles 5 photos 254 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you was beyond my control.&quot;

Navi- Ah the "All atheists must hate God" argument. I have seen no evidence that Agnot hates god. Their argument is well-described and no attacks were made. Let me ask you, do you believe in unicorns Navi? No? So you must hate unicorns, since you don't believe in them? And I don't believe in the tooth fairy, so I must have a deep loathing for her too. And Santa Claus, and the Loch Ness Monster.

on Jun. 25 2012 at 2:16 pm
BlueRain BRONZE, Clarkston, Michigan
2 articles 5 photos 254 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you was beyond my control.&quot;

Oh wow, Pascal's Wager... how sad. Excuse me but you're all just playing a little betting game like a bunch of opportunists. You believe because you're afraid of the other option. You don't think if your God exists that he can't see past your little wager? Any god who would reward people just because they happened to choose the better bet stemming from their fear of punishment is a tyrant. Classic Join or Die (in this case, Join or Burn Forever) scenario.

on Jun. 25 2012 at 10:32 am
BlueRain BRONZE, Clarkston, Michigan
2 articles 5 photos 254 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you was beyond my control.&quot;

We sometimes have "conversations" with dead loved ones because it comforts us, because we want to feel like they're still there. That's why we visit graves, because few of us actually see a person we had known once their coffin is laid in the ground. Our last memory of them is in a peaceful, seemingly sleeping state, so it's possible a part of our mind still thinks that person is alive, that they have just gone away. Death is still a mystery to us.

on Jun. 25 2012 at 10:25 am
BlueRain BRONZE, Clarkston, Michigan
2 articles 5 photos 254 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you was beyond my control.&quot;

I have a guardian angle too, it's a right angle. He helped me get a place within the Square.

Sorry, I care about grammar.


on Jun. 25 2012 at 10:17 am
BlueRain BRONZE, Clarkston, Michigan
2 articles 5 photos 254 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you was beyond my control.&quot;

How can you be FULL of mercy, love, and grace, and then have wraith? That's a contradiction...

on Jun. 25 2012 at 10:14 am
BlueRain BRONZE, Clarkston, Michigan
2 articles 5 photos 254 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you was beyond my control.&quot;

So the 1.2 million Americans who had a heart attack this year.. God doesn't care about them?