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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?

© Anonymous

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This article has 764 comments.

write4life GOLD said...
on Dec. 12 2009 at 10:36 am
write4life GOLD, Macon, Georgia
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Yes, I know we were created after the animals. And yes, God did put Adam in charge of taking care of His creation. I'm not sure exactly what point you're trying to make.
Eliza.K BRONZE said...
on Dec. 11 2009 at 11:33 pm
Eliza.K BRONZE, Ridgefield, Connecticut
3 articles 0 photos 3 comments
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What part of my comment did you interpret as "never interact with anybody ever" ? I just mean that if people didn't freak out so much when others have different opinions or lifestyles, it would make things a lot easier...
beautifulworld SILVER said...
on Dec. 11 2009 at 11:00 pm
beautifulworld SILVER, Memphis, Tennessee
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Yes but at the same time people have gone through the same experiences and found help in God. There are people in this world that will put themselves at the center of their lives and they can live a perfectly happy life. But for anyone who takes a step outside themselves and help others (not just when it fits their agenda either) will defianitly find it hard not to see a higher power.
beautifulworld SILVER said...
on Dec. 11 2009 at 10:45 pm
beautifulworld SILVER, Memphis, Tennessee
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I completely agree that God did not make you like that.
beautifulworld SILVER said...
on Dec. 11 2009 at 10:42 pm
beautifulworld SILVER, Memphis, Tennessee
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Ummm, Death will only not be a problem if you work hard in this life, like the author is saying, except I wouldn't make my self (a fallible human) the focal point.
beautifulworld SILVER said...
on Dec. 11 2009 at 10:39 pm
beautifulworld SILVER, Memphis, Tennessee
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Live and let live??? That sounds like an extremely self-absorbed way to live life. There is more than one human being on earth for a reason. We are supposed to help each other.
beautifulworld SILVER said...
on Dec. 11 2009 at 10:35 pm
beautifulworld SILVER, Memphis, Tennessee
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pretending what?
beautifulworld SILVER said...
on Dec. 11 2009 at 10:31 pm
beautifulworld SILVER, Memphis, Tennessee
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I'm Christian but that really seems a little, um, demeaning to me. I mean honestly, I doubt you would like an atheist telling you that they hope you come to your senses someday.
beautifulworld SILVER said...
on Dec. 11 2009 at 10:28 pm
beautifulworld SILVER, Memphis, Tennessee
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Besani, honestly? I don't care who you believe in but in what culture is it okay to mistreat someone because of their beliefs? that is EXACTLY the kind of thing the author was talking against. Just as chrsitians have no right to force their opinion on them you have no right insult and ridicule them for their thoughts.
beautifulworld SILVER said...
on Dec. 11 2009 at 10:20 pm
beautifulworld SILVER, Memphis, Tennessee
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Actually we came after the animals and God gave Adam the responsibility of taking care of his creation.
beautifulworld SILVER said...
on Dec. 11 2009 at 10:17 pm
beautifulworld SILVER, Memphis, Tennessee
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I honestly don't think that can be said of any one religion (or in your case non-religion). I have met people of a lot of faiths who think they are right and everyone else is wrong. Personally I think saying one religion does this, be it atheism, Christianity, or Hinduism is horribly stereotypical.
beautifulworld SILVER said...
on Dec. 11 2009 at 10:06 pm
beautifulworld SILVER, Memphis, Tennessee
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i disagree. I believe God is omniscient and knows how we will end up but does not actually control it. It's more of like watching a car crash, you can see the two cars coming together and know for sure they will collide but you had no effect in it yourself.
beautifulworld SILVER said...
on Dec. 11 2009 at 10:02 pm
beautifulworld SILVER, Memphis, Tennessee
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ah, but most of science is on theory and everything is built off those theories, personally i wouldn't put all my faith on the ideas of man. of course you said yourself people are not always reliable sources so i i'm confused on where exactly u stand on this.
JaredC PLATINUM said...
on Dec. 11 2009 at 12:33 pm
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Really good job! i'm a christian (of sorts) and am totally against people who push religion.. on that some token, let me say i admire your consistantcy. you said what you believe, and you live it out in the "life is not about finding yourself, but making youself" slogan. if 'christains' were to practice christianity in the same mannor you practice atheism, maybe we would not have to argue/debate/sue over so many things..
christianity now days has become a once weekly metting, with a set of moral rules (for most). when i read the new testament i come to the stark realization that this religion of christianity is not what Jesus practiced in his day.
here again, i really enjoyed reading this.
:)
QuestionAuthority1128 said...
on Dec. 11 2009 at 1:11 am
Wow. Don't feel sorry for her. She doesn't feel sorry for you for believing in God, so why do the same for you? I mean, "God bless you" when you know she doesn't believe in a God? Degrading much?
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on Dec. 2 2009 at 9:50 pm
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Do you guys mind if I tell you what I beleive?
evie428 BRONZE said...
on Dec. 2 2009 at 9:49 pm
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Hey, I have a question for you guys . . . (but mostly for the author) ;) Do you ever say, 'Oh my God'?
caitlin.calamity BRONZE said...
on Dec. 2 2009 at 8:00 pm
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Why feel sorry for her?? That is very jugdemental and closedminded. What if she were to tell you that she feels sorry for you because you believe in God? This just appalls me that so many people cannot accept her beliefs just because she is different. I wish everyone could just get along. I know this is stereoptypical of me, but christians are ALWAYS feeling sorry for people who don't believe the same as them. I am agnostic, and so many people tell me all the time that they feel bad that I don't believe in God. Most people don't even understand what Agnosticism or Atheism is. These people should do some research on the things they bash BEFORE they bash them.
fellow writer said...
on Dec. 2 2009 at 5:38 pm
Your article is very well written, though some of what you say raises questions for me. For example, you say that you don't like the idea of believing in fate because you want to have control over yourself. The way I understand it, that is exactly what God wants, as well, which is why he created us with free will. Have you ever read _Paradise Lost_ by John Milton? It does an excellent job of explaining the paradox between our free will and God's omnipotence. They are not mutally exclusive.

I am not trying to change your mind, by the way - I totally respect your opinion. I just wondered why you were equating fate with God.

Keep up the intelligent writing and thinking!
literaryaddict PLATINUM said...
on Dec. 2 2009 at 5:21 pm
literaryaddict PLATINUM, Albuquerque, New Mexico
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i'm a christian, but by no means do i think badly of those who believe differently than i do. i think it's great that you're sharing what you believe (or don't believe, as the case may be). personally, i do not believe that God has everything perfectly planned out. i believe that He takes into account that people will make mistakes; that's why Jesus died on the cross for us. honestly, i'm not trying to convert you, but simply sharing my beliefs, just like you have.