Paul.E.Bailey’s World – A Message of Peace from an Atheist

Posted on by Paul.E.Bailey

I’ll start this with a statement that should shock none of you by now. I am atheist. I’ve been atheist for virtually my entire life. I was christened Church of England as a baby, but I was a baby. I had no choice in the matter. I renounced the notion of ‘god’ and ‘religion’ pretty much as soon as I had it rammed down my throat at school as a child.

I won’t go into the whys and the hows, but I believe religion lacks truth. I believe people have been taught falsely to put their faith in something that doesn’t exist. I will never be deterred from this mind-set. It’s how I feel and it’ll never change. Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islamism…it’s all a fallacy as far as I’m concerned.

BUT…just because I don’t believe in any of it myself doesn’t mean for one minute that I judge anybody who does. The way I see it is that whatever makes somebody a better person and helps them understand life better can only be a good thing. If god (whichever variant of god it may be) is the entity that causes you to be a better person then great.

I’ve seen a couple of posts recently from one or two of the religious people I follow pouring scorn on the words and hatred they’ve either received or seen on other posts from atheists. They have shared what these people have said and publicly shamed them. Rightfully so in my opinion.

I advocate that. I think it’s good that these poisonous people are flushed out and their hateful talk put out there for everyone to see. Well done my religious friends!

I do want to say this though; most atheists do not think the way they do.

I may not believe in any god, but that doesn’t mean I’m amoral in any way. I know what it takes to be a good person and I’m self-taught in this manner by listening to my parents and watching the way the world works. It can be a horrible place with an awful lot of unexplained evil at work, most of which is inflicted by humans upon other humans. The rest is inflicted by humans on everything else. Humans are the only things on this planet capable of evil because evil acts are a conscious choice.

Evil can take on many forms. Sometimes it can take on the form of a person devoted to religion. Said person might see their acts as holy or appeasing their god, while others see their act as nothing but malicious; some attempt to mask their evil deeds by then running to god for forgiveness as if that somehow vindicates them. Using religion to act evilly is unforgivable. It is surely a sin.

I know of no atheist on a personal level who uses atheism to act evilly. They use barbed comments and can be very uncouth, but how many wars have ever been started by atheists? I’m not aware of any (I haven’t researched it up to yet). We aren’t bad people and our lack of faith in any theistic doctrine doesn’t automatically make us bad by default.

Nor are we necessarily faithless. I have faith; it’s just in different things. I have faith in myself as a person to do the right thing and I have faith in others to do the right thing also. I know the difference between right and wrong and so can judge myself depending on my actions. I don’t need a god or ancient/classical era texts to tell me all of that. Frankly if somebody doesn’t automatically know the difference between right and wrong without a viable excuse (age, mental illness, etc.) then they have no chance in life.

I have no desire to discuss why I choose not to adhere to a theistic doctrine. I ask no religious person why they choose to believe so I expect the same courtesy in return. Respect my beliefs in the same way I respect yours and without question. As the cliché goes, live and let live.

I won’t apologise on behalf of the keyboard warriors and churlish idiots who rip into religion and try to make religious people sound irrational and brainwashed. If they were true atheists then they’d never think such things, let alone say them. The key ideal of atheism is rationalism. To act in the way these aforementioned idiots have is anything but rational. I pity them and despair for them.

I understand why people believe in god. I really do. I understand why agnostics sit on the fence too. It makes perfect sense that people would believe in a creator. After all, the very idea that everything was created from nothing is surely absurd. In saying that though, I believe in the Big Bang theory (not the crap “comedy” series) because the things I’ve read make sense to me in the same way the notion of god makes sense to those of a religious persuasion. I can’t explain why; I just believe it.

I suppose that very idea is just as crazy sounding to a godly person as the idea of god sounds to me. Even I admit that the Big Bang theory has many holes and is far from complete, but it has no more holes and is no less complete than the notion of an almighty creator. I can’t prove the Big Bang, but god can’t be proved either. It really is a case of agreeing to disagree. I don’t wish to turn religious people into atheists and I don’t wish to be turned to religion.

The point I’m attempting to make here is that atheists; proper atheists; are not antagonistic and argumentative people (at least not as far as religion goes). We respect everybody’s right to believe what they wish and all I wanted to do here was ensure my religious followers that we really aren’t all like these trolls that have been posted about recently.

I want to talk about things and discuss everything with people of various faiths because diversity is fantastic. What a boring place this would be if we all thought the same things, right? Our differences in beliefs and what not is such a positive and we should all be happy to embrace those who are different. They are the ones who will truly teach you more about the world than those who think exactly the same way you do. Let’s discuss our differences in belief and opinion.

Don’t hate the atheist. Don’t pity the atheist. Don’t pray for the atheist. Talk to them. Get to know them. Be intrigued and educated by their words. That doesn’t mean you have to believe what they believe. It just means you appreciate that they’re human too, but a different kind of human to what you are. It shows you’re temperate and accepting. If you’re speaking to a true atheist then you can rest assured they’ll try to understand and learn from you as a religious person. If they don’t then they’re just a dick! They aren’t even a true atheist.

I’d like to talk to these religion bashing “atheists” at some point and find out exactly what their game is. I’d like to find out exactly what has them believing they’re in such a position to be so haughty and belittling. I’ve never come across a religious person who has angrily forced their opinion on me. They might have knocked on my door at an inopportune moment and kept me standing there, but they talked with kindness and a warm smile. I honestly like the people that knock on doors to spread the word because they’re always so nice and friendly. Religious people in general are lovely and will always use reason to explain their beliefs. That is exactly what our trolling atheist friends should be doing rather than trying to get a rise from religious people and turning it into a tit for tat argument. They are morons! Honestly; don’t even engage with these troglodytes!

We are all human at the end of the day. Believing in something doesn’t mean your mind or body works any differently from the next persons. Belief is something that doesn’t need to be justified. It’s something you have or you don’t. It’s faith. Seeing isn’t a requisite to believing. Your beliefs are right for you so believe in them. At the same time, always accept the beliefs of others. Be peaceable and tolerant. Don’t force your beliefs down the throats of others.

The fact that we are all people matters more than whether we are atheist, agnostic or religious. What we believe doesn’t make a difference. The more people who think that way, the better off this world will be. Respect should be a given regardless of difference in beliefs, so make sure you give it. The more you give the more you’ll receive.

Regardless of which side of the fence you fall or whether you perch upon it, I hope you have a wonderful Christmas. No; I hope you have a wonderful life!

Are you religious, agnostic or atheist? What do you think of my words and what are your thoughts on those atheists bashing religious people? Do you think people should be pressing their views onto others to think the same way they do? What does faith give to you and how does it improve your life? I’m very interested to read what people think and I will of course be ready to reply at the earliest convenience. Thank you for reading!

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35 thoughts on “Paul.E.Bailey’s World – A Message of Peace from an Atheist”

  1. Although I’m going to ignore the Big Bang Theory show slur, I highly agree with your ideas on this and mine run along the same line. I’m not sure I would call myself an out an out atheist, I just never saw the need to wonder on creation or our end. Only now and your lifetime matter to you, so why get into a tizzy over it. I give out what I hope to get back and my morals are on mark I believe. There’s no more to it for me. We will find out later or we wont, no use worrying on it. I agree that people can and do benefit greatly from religion and I am always happy to hear it. Because you should do what makes you happy as long as you aren’t harming other beings.
    This is a great thought provoking post. And you are a great thoughtful writer. ☺

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I’ve always got slurs in store for that show. Haha.
      You’re probably what they call an agnostic atheist whereupon you don’t believe in a god, but you don’t claim to know there isn’t one. That’s how I am myself. I’m happy to be proven wrong where god is concerned, but until I am I’ll continue to believe he (or rather it) doesn’t exist.
      Faith is what you make it and if monotheistic faith makes you feel better/a better person then fantastic. Same if polytheism, pantheism or any other theism has the same effect. Nobody is right or wrong, they just…are! Definitely isn’t worth arguing and fighting over. For my money, those who claim to be atheist should know better than to argue. It totally negates their supposed mind-set.
      Thank you for the praise 🙂 Words like that give me the impetus to carry on, especially as I’ve been doubting myself of late. Coming from you as well it definitely buoys my confidence

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      1. Sounds about right for me, I do believe in karma and positivity a bit, but not “God” in particular.
        I also can never see how people can so stringently believe in one idea. It seems every religion has its good and bad points so none should be automatically counted out. As you were saying, the world would be a better place if everyone was more open minded.
        Have no doubt, your a great writer and a brilliant human.
        When I feel I’m only writing crap, I just keep in my mind the idea that if nothing else it’s good practice. Haha

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I don’t even believe in anything karmic to be honest. The reason being that there are bad people out there who persistently do bad things but never receive anything close to as bad in return.
        The thing about believing in one idea means you are basically atheist as regards several others because you’re rejecting the notion of a tonne of other gods. Who’s right and who’s wrong? Who actually cares?
        My doubt is part of me and I’m sure it helps in some ways (I’m just not sure how and in what ways). I don’t think I’ll ever shed myself of it. I do like your mind-set of it being good practice regardless of how good it is. You certainly won’t become a better writer by not writing!

        Liked by 1 person

      10. That’s the only issue doing it chapter by chapter I think. It’s easier to sort of lose the plot. I have to do a lot of going back and forth with Apocalypse Story which is a little irritating, but I don’t appear to be tripping myself on details yet…

        Liked by 1 person

      12. The plan for me is not to get too technical with the weaponry in mine. I’ll just stick to basic terminology where that’s concerned. You can definitely expect to see more of the 7 iron. That’s gonna be Ryan’s signature weapon like Daryl and his crossbow. Haha

        Liked by 1 person

      14. Woah, steady on sister! 7 iron! Don’t go devaluing Ryan’s shit 😂 But yes, golf clubs are infinitely satisfying implements. I’d say more so than a cricket or baseball bat. Possibly because it’s metallic or weighted at the end, I don’t know.
        I have a vague knowledge of gun types, but don’t know enough to start listing various ones

        Liked by 1 person

      16. I only know one golfer…nope, two golfers, but I’ve always had a passive interest in it. I used to have a 7 iron when I was in my teens, Used to take it on a field near me with golf balls I’d pilfered from a nearby course and spend however long just whacking them as far as I could. It was therapeutic as fuck

        Liked by 1 person

  4. This is ace 🙂 Have you seen the YouTube video of Ricky Gervais (who is atheist) talking about religion? That’s interesting. I wonder if you’d agree with his viewpoint or not. I do believe in live and let live. My experience of many people who are religious has not been as positive as yours has, but my satanic catholic benchmark is maybe not typical-(though who knows!?) I don’t know what atheist bashing you’re talking about as I haven’t read the particular posts, but I’m interested in reading what was said on both sides before I pass any comment. Personally I have been frustrated with [some] of my religious followers, who have expressed their views on my situation and healing quite forcibly, but with many of my followers I don’t know what their religious stance is as they don’t bring it into blogging. I appreciate it when people are chilled out about their faith or non-faith, (and keep it as a personal private thing). I’m glad you wrote this post though as it is written in a balanced way and I don’t think this could be hurtful or inflammatory to anyone. You are one of the most rational people I’ve ever met and I absolutely love your mind. It’s a well oiled machine Paul 🙂 This is a FAB post! I’ve been mind fucked yet again lol!

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. I haven’t seen the Ricky Gervais video, but I did recently watch one where Stephen Fry was asked what he’d say to god when he got up there and Fry’s response was AMAZING! It was Gay Byrne interviewing him and his face was a picture. Haha. Then I saw one that was like a critical response to that by Russell Brand and then his ramblings were torn apart by somebody else. It was quite fun to watch. Haha.
      Your animosity towards religious folk is understandable and justified given your background. People who force their beliefs on others are utter pricks, whether religious or atheist. Nobody has a right to force anything on somebody; certainly not beliefs. It completely negates the word ‘believe’. I would never try to force somebody into thinking something if they weren’t open to the idea of thinking it. Even then I wouldn’t force them. I’d use reason and rationale to make my points and then it would be up to them. I’d only do it if they asked too.
      I felt the post was necessary in light of things I’ve seen recently. I don’t think it’s right that we atheists are all put in the same boat with the bad ones. Kind of like a lot of people do with Muslims and assuming they’re all terrorists. That mind-set really, REALLY fucks me off!

      Liked by 1 person

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      2. I just use my brain for the purpose it was intended. I’m certainly not going to allow others to think and make decisions for me like so many are prepared to do nowadays. What a waste of free thought. To me that’s just common sense xxx

        Liked by 1 person

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