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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.

Electricity PLATINUM said...
on Jul. 12 2009 at 10:07 pm
Electricity PLATINUM, Bradenton, Florida
30 articles 0 photos 271 comments
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AAHHH...... I LOVE THIS ARTICLE!!!!! I've been atheist for 7 years, and nobody believes me either!! Seriously, my mom stuck me in a CHRISTIAN SCHOOL! AHHH it was TORTURE!!! I made bible contradictions xD... it was so fun. I made sure to A's in all subjects, and my bible teacher had us memorize passages form the Bible, and one day after I said my "bible memory", I said, "Just to be clear, I don't believe any of this!" And he had to give me an A because I memorized it. LOL. My family says, "Never say your atheist, if you don't believe in god, say your agnostic." I'm like: "WTF!" ANyway, I have to show this to them to prove that I believe what I believe!
messijessi BRONZE said...
on Jul. 2 2009 at 5:33 pm
messijessi BRONZE, Malvern, Pennsylvania
3 articles 0 photos 13 comments
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I love this article. Although I am a Christian, I respect your ideals and I think that you are an amazing writer!
tayecutebutt said...
on Jul. 1 2009 at 5:23 am
I agree and disagree.
Chrissy_L GOLD said...
on Jun. 23 2009 at 5:31 pm
Chrissy_L GOLD, Ramsey, New Jersey
13 articles 0 photos 66 comments

Favorite Quote:
An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.

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Very well written, and very true. I too am an atheist, but I mostly keep that to myself. I, like most people, just want respect; Atheists do not want others to forse Religion on us, nor do we want to be treated any differently.

Most of the devout Christians commenting here only wish to help, I know, but I've heard worse said about myself when I let my beliefs slip.

George W. Bush himself once said, "No, I don't know that Athiests should be considered citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God." (I never liked Bush much anyway...)

You're a very brave person to write all this.
Chrissy_L GOLD said...
on Jun. 14 2009 at 12:49 am
Chrissy_L GOLD, Ramsey, New Jersey
13 articles 0 photos 66 comments

Favorite Quote:
An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.

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I entirely agree with you and your views. I was not even a teenager when I decided to embrace my atheistic views, but I felt like I had to keep it a secret. I admire your courage to write an article on it.
Austin Wright BRONZE said...
on Jun. 10 2009 at 12:53 am
Austin Wright BRONZE, London, Ohio
2 articles 0 photos 1 comment
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Good for you. Don't forget that it is through your own strength that you obtain happiness. Have a long, joyous life: You only get one!
morgie7<3 PLATINUM said...
on Jun. 5 2009 at 1:23 am
morgie7<3 PLATINUM, Tremont, Illinois
34 articles 0 photos 93 comments

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&quot;I&#039;ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I&#039;ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I&#039;ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I&#039;ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.&quot;<br /> ~Michael Jordan

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I commented before but there is a lot more i wanna say srry! lol...but look, as i said before i think this piece was written excellently. I think you have great potential as a writer and i respect your opinion. I also greatly respect you for having the courage to write something so personal. And, as I also said before, I cannot force religion, but I can plant a seed. I am a strong Christian, and it's only with the help of Jesus, who died for me so that I could have eternal perfection when I die. I do hope that someday you realize how much He loves you. You can still believe in yourself with God in your life, and it's good to depend on family and friends when you have a God, too. Keep writing and best of luck with future pieces!
morgie7<3 PLATINUM said...
on Jun. 4 2009 at 11:05 pm
morgie7<3 PLATINUM, Tremont, Illinois
34 articles 0 photos 93 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I&#039;ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I&#039;ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I&#039;ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I&#039;ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.&quot;<br /> ~Michael Jordan

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Um ok. I love your style of writing but I disagree with your beliefs. I have always been a Christian and always will be! But everyone has a choice and no one can make you believe a certain thing. Religion isn't forced. I encourage you to keep writing, even though I disagree with you on religion.
ramnapotter PLATINUM said...
on Jun. 3 2009 at 10:03 pm
ramnapotter PLATINUM, Toronto, Other
26 articles 1 photo 90 comments

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&ldquo;Write to be understood, speak to be heard, read to grow...&rdquo;

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An examplary piece. Extremely well-written. I feel as though you are not only a courageous person to explain to yound adults in America about what you truly believe and trust, but that you are also becoming stronger yourself just by expressing these beliefs.

Y'know what? I wanna be you when I grow up.
BookWorm579 PLATINUM said...
on Apr. 22 2009 at 5:01 am
BookWorm579 PLATINUM, Elk Grove, California
26 articles 0 photos 33 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;&agrave; c&oelig;ur vaillant rien d&rsquo;impossible [nothing is impossible to a willing heart]&quot; -French Proverb

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There is a Buddhist proverb that says if you meet the Buddha on the street, kill him. It means that you should never become so attached to your religion that it controls your life. Perhaps there is a God and perhaps there isn't. It's a he-didn't-say-no situation. However, the idea of a higher power who is always watching can act as an effective conscience for people who otherwise wouldn't have any.
SaraB. GOLD said...
on Apr. 19 2009 at 9:39 pm
SaraB. GOLD, Phoenix, Arizona
12 articles 6 photos 215 comments

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&quot;Whatever you are, be a good one&quot; Abraham Lincoln

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While I do not agree with you what so ever (I am a devout Christian) I thought this piece was very good, and it was able to explain a viewpoint to me that I have never really understood. Good work!
DinosoarJen DIAMOND said...
on Apr. 6 2009 at 7:18 pm
DinosoarJen DIAMOND, Scottsville, New York
86 articles 0 photos 82 comments

Favorite Quote:
Just another casualty.<br /> It&#039;s sad but true.<br /> And even dead I&#039;m still ahead<br /> of most of you.

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In the words of Bill Nye "science rules."

I agree with you, Sarah. I have a mesh of beliefs, but none of them involve Satan controlling my mind and dragging me slowly into the burning pit of hell, of that God will save me if I'm kind and giving. How in the world does anybody know if Jesus even existed? People trust thousands of years full of lies and hate recorded in a book. I don't know that the earth was created as scientific theory tells it either, and there are some things science can't explain, sure. But don't tell "Sarah M" that she wont survive without God, because she sounds like a very strong person to me and I think she'll get on fine without an invisible walking stick, thank you very much.



"believeinhim"

Science says that too. And she doesn't sound very confused to me. She actually sounds very sure. You're saying God created the universe? Who created God? People's MINDS created God, because that's what people/artists do. They CREATE things.
DoLL_F@C3 said...
on Apr. 5 2009 at 9:50 pm
DoLL_F@C3, Memphis, Tennessee
0 articles 0 photos 41 comments

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&quot;FORGIVING YESTERDAY, LIVING FOR TODAY, NOT WORRIED BOUT TOMORROW.&quot; Doll

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I disagree 100% percent. God is good all the time and all the time God is good.:-)
scooby said...
on Mar. 16 2009 at 12:22 am
I disagree, but this was well written.



*Jesus is the ONLY way to live a fulfilled life. When you die, do YOU know what is going to happen?*



Praise God I do. Because I put my faith and trust in Jesus, I am going to heaven!



God bless!
paranormalexprience94 said...
on Mar. 9 2009 at 6:25 pm
i don't agree i do beilive there is a god and i think it is sad that you guys don't beilive enough to think that there is something out there, i mean we couldn't have just appeared out of no where we had to come from somewhere, i feel sorry for you but i guess your right it is your life and you can't be forced to beilive in something that you don't think exists.
heffernanchitown said...
on Feb. 27 2009 at 7:01 pm
Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life
sanra SILVER said...
on Feb. 23 2009 at 10:19 pm
sanra SILVER, Far Rockaway, New York
8 articles 7 photos 62 comments
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I agree, i mean people will alway want you to be in their religion, and you know what? people that does that thinks they're helping, but for me, or anyone who are guided like this usually kind of like they are being brain-washed or something. Lke you said, i don't trully believe in Allah(god) as much as my parents wants me to.Or fate or anything that is just to-hapen, i believe that anything that hapens has a cause and i's not just fate or whatever.
Meagan SILVER said...
on Feb. 23 2009 at 1:16 am
Meagan SILVER, Albert Lea, Minnesota
9 articles 0 photos 10 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.&quot;<br /> -Lemony Snicket

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Quote bookworm013:

"Well written-I just disagree. There is no way that the universe was just here. What ages has to have a beginning. Energy must originate from somewhere."



The universe came from a compressed ball of matter, it was never "just here". It has aged and it did have a beginning.
Meagan SILVER said...
on Feb. 23 2009 at 1:14 am
Meagan SILVER, Albert Lea, Minnesota
9 articles 0 photos 10 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.&quot;<br /> -Lemony Snicket

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While I may not agree with all of what you say, this was a really good piece! I don't think it's respectable of other people to try to force their religions down your throat or say you need to "try church aat least once!" because if it's not for you...it's not for you. I'm agnostic and really could care less about religion. I, like you, can get through my own harships because I know I caused it. No one chose for me how I'd screw up and how I'd succeed; I choose that everyday by my actions.

Anyway, I guess I'm trying to say I enjoyed your work and completely see where you are coming from.
xXsmileXx said...
on Feb. 18 2009 at 10:48 pm
I like the idea fo this piece, and i like that your mission wasn't to change anyone, but of course i disagree ith some of it. I won't talk to you about God or the Devil...but about fate. i believe in fate, but i also believe it can be altered based on certain actions. think about that at least. Because, for me, life or love without destiny is hopeles and empty.