I don’t consider there’s a God.
My dad and mom do. They’re tremendous spiritual. And so they’ve each benefited from it rather a lot. They’re kinder, extra hopeful, and more healthy as a result of they consider in God. So whereas I don’t consider there’s a God, I additionally understand {that a} perception in God is likely to be extremely useful to folks.
This is the reason I by no means inform them that I don’t consider in God. And after they ask me to hope, I comply fortunately as a result of it makes them content material.
Once I inform folks that I don’t consider that God exists, but additionally on the identical time, know {that a} perception in God will be extremely useful; they ask me why I don’t simply begin believing only for the sake of the advantages of perception.
It made sense, so I attempted. However happily or sadly, I couldn’t.
I used to consider in God, although. My dad and mom principally brainwashed me into believing in God as a child. I keep in mind a time after I used to surprise, “How does God know {that a} girl is married and the way does he/she ship a child in her stomach?”
This naive thought was borne out of the truth that in India, single {couples} having infants was very uncommon, and likewise, as a toddler, I didn’t perceive what intercourse was.
However now I do know higher, so I do higher.
(A curious facet observe: At this time I requested my 4-year-old niece whether or not or not he attended his dad and mom’ marriage ceremony. He replied that he didn’t as a result of he was nonetheless with God on the time. I smiled as a result of I believed that was fairly cute and it virtually overlapped with my very own previous naivete.)
I used to be at all times curious although. If there’s a God, why can’t I see one? Why haven’t they made their presence obvious? I by no means acquired a solution that would quench my curiosity adequately.
So slowly, I grew into an atheist.
And lately, I found that I’m weirdly drawn to atheists.
Once I hear that somebody’s an atheist, I’m immediately extra fascinated by them. I first believed that it is likely to be as a result of I’m an atheist myself and I simply discovered widespread floor to attach with somebody.
However on digging additional, I noticed that it’s greater than that. I noticed that I’m drawn to atheists due to two causes:
- They’ve the flexibility to assume for themselves.
- They’ve braveness.
The individuals who inform you to consider in God are additionally the identical folks you’re instructed to placed on a pedestal: Your dad and mom. Lecturers. Brokers of religions like monks, monks, gurus, and so on. Actual authority figures, you realize.
Going in opposition to these folks is frowned upon. So when somebody disregards them and comes to a decision for themselves that they in truth don’t need to consider in God, it’s due to their very own potential to assume.
Thoughts you, I’m not arguing which is true. Perhaps God does exist, and atheists are mistaken. However atheists assume for themselves as a substitute of believing the whole lot they’re instructed, and I like that; as a result of being skeptical of what the authorities are telling you is not any simple process.
Second; even when somebody believes they’re an atheist, to inform it to the world once more takes braveness. It’s to assert that you just reject a extensively held perception; and since we’re herd animals wanting to adapt to the bulk, this act of riot appears fairly brave to me; and therefore, engaging.
So after I give it some thought, it’s not precisely atheism that I discover engaging.
Atheism is only a proxy for what I actually discover engaging in folks: braveness and free-thinking.
So what I’m saying is that atheism or faith; it doesn’t matter what you select, these two expertise are fairly attractive, and you need to spend time creating them.
Akshad Singi, M.D. has been printed in Higher People, Thoughts Cafe, and extra.
This text was initially printed at Medium. Reprinted with permission from the creator.
