I’m sick of Atheists getting a bad rap all the time. For me personally, I am not an Atheist because I am “evil.” That’s ridiculous. I am an Atheist simply because there is not enough rational proof that God exists. It’s just that simple. I believe God is a manmade concept thought up probably soon after human beings developed higher thought processes. I choose not to go along with this concept because I don’t see the need for it. I can be a reasonable, rational, kind, conscientious human being without the need for an ultimate reward in the form of an eternity that is better than life on earth. I don’t believe in an afterlife.

Therefore, I think we should live striving for a better life on earth rather than working for the goal of a better life in the afterlife. I don’t advocate violence, lawless behavior, nonsensical actions, or anything of the sort. I just don’t feel the necessity of a god figure in my life. Why is that so wrong? I don’t believe in the concept. That’s really all there is to it.

And yet, in most conversations I have in which religion/spirituality is brought up, I get told at least one of the following:

“Atheism is a corrupting force in society.”
Um, not really. First, I’d hardly call Atheism a “force.” If Atheism has anything to do with society, its job is to stay in the background. In fact, of all the religious/spiritual denominations and classifications, Atheism is probably one of the least intrusive. When was the last time you saw an Atheist handing out pamphlets or knocking at your door asking you if you’ve considered “converting” to Atheism?
Second, all sorts of conclusions are jumped to by implying that a lack of belief in a god is equal to corruption. You don’t need God to be good. Just look at all the law-abiding Atheists in today’s society.

“You can’t prove God doesn’t exist.”
You can’t prove He/She/They does/do. Until then, I’m sticking with what I believe.

“Okay, if God is a manmade concept, it is a necessary one in order to prevent people from doing wrong” (or, “without God there is a lack of morality.”)
Again, not so. Like I said, there are millions of Atheists in the world. I doubt the percentage of them that fall into immorality is greater than any other denomination or classification. While I believe that people do things in order to ultimately receive some sort of reward at some point, I believe that this reward can be found on earth, not in the afterlife.

“There is no definitive proof of God because He wants you to have faith that he exists.”
A god who will not reveal rational proof that it exists while requiring that people believe in it despite that is a god I don’t want a part of. If God does exist, why would He require us to prove our faith in the face of such overwhelming evidence that denounces his existence?

“Atheism is the same thing as believing in evolution.”
Not necessarily. I know many Christians who “believe” in evolution, and I know two Atheists who aren’t convinced enough by the evidence to trust the evolutionary theory. Atheism is the affirmation of the nonexistence of god(s) or the rejection of theism. Evolution is a theory. Big difference.

That’s about it. I hope I didn’t offend anyone. I’m just trying to explain things from an Atheist’s point of view.

And stop picking on Agnostics, too.