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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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JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 764 comments.

Xella714 BRONZE said...
on Sep. 8 2011 at 5:29 pm
Xella714 BRONZE, Salem, Massachusetts
3 articles 1 photo 18 comments
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That's a depressing comment. I feel sorrier for you
Musicandlove BRONZE said...
on Sep. 4 2011 at 3:37 pm
Musicandlove BRONZE, Lonerville, New Jersey
1 article 0 photos 9 comments

Favorite Quote:
"As artists paint on canvas, musicians paint on silence."

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Well put, thanks! & I agree!
sydney S. said...
on Sep. 1 2011 at 9:49 pm
I feel the same exact way! The way you put it into words was great!
msoccerm345 SILVER said...
on Sep. 1 2011 at 6:19 pm
msoccerm345 SILVER, Grimes, Iowa
7 articles 0 photos 68 comments

Favorite Quote:
You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.

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i think what Musicandlove is trying to say is that Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit are all the same "person" but just different forms. God came to Earth as Jesus in a human form. The Holy Spirit is the part of God that lives in us and through us. that is the best way that i know how to explain it. i have full respect for athiests but i am a full devoted Christian and i would never deny my faith. everyone has to have something to live for whether it be themselves, love, friends, family, money or God. But i choose God. 
Hejlna BRONZE said...
on Sep. 1 2011 at 4:06 pm
Hejlna BRONZE, Portland, Maine
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that is a very good point
Musicandlove BRONZE said...
on Sep. 1 2011 at 3:18 pm
Musicandlove BRONZE, Lonerville, New Jersey
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They are not* Oops!
Musicandlove BRONZE said...
on Sep. 1 2011 at 3:17 pm
Musicandlove BRONZE, Lonerville, New Jersey
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Favorite Quote:
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Thank you for being respectful about this reponse. God and Jesus are one though. Your friends may have explained it wrong, or are a different religion than I am, (Catholic) but God is a trinity. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are three different people (this is where it's hard to explain) but rather three different "personalities." & I never got to say this but this article is great I love learning about how atheists think and the author was great at being respectful as I hope I'm being.
iW0ntRunThisTime BRONZE said...
on Sep. 1 2011 at 2:39 pm
iW0ntRunThisTime BRONZE, Paris, Other
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Who says there is a point of life at all?
pulsusego GOLD said...
on Aug. 31 2011 at 9:26 pm
pulsusego GOLD, Mcdonough, Georgia
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Honestly, my guess is that she's not an Anthrophobic Megalomaniac.
pulsusego GOLD said...
on Aug. 31 2011 at 9:08 pm
pulsusego GOLD, Mcdonough, Georgia
11 articles 0 photos 8 comments

Favorite Quote:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings; look on my words, ye mighty, and despair.", "I like smashing pots. Then I take the fragments to Kernavė and bury them. In future, it will be more past there" by Juozas Erlickas, and so many more..

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God isn't Jesus.. No offense meant, but I'm an Atheist and I know this, if only because my friends have explained it repeatedly in our discussions.
pulsusego GOLD said...
on Aug. 31 2011 at 9:05 pm
pulsusego GOLD, Mcdonough, Georgia
11 articles 0 photos 8 comments

Favorite Quote:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings; look on my words, ye mighty, and despair.", "I like smashing pots. Then I take the fragments to Kernavė and bury them. In future, it will be more past there" by Juozas Erlickas, and so many more..

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The point of life? To find out what happens next.
Musicandlove BRONZE said...
on Aug. 27 2011 at 3:32 pm
Musicandlove BRONZE, Lonerville, New Jersey
1 article 0 photos 9 comments

Favorite Quote:
"As artists paint on canvas, musicians paint on silence."

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You really should be educated in faith before you criticize it. God IS Jesus, and Jesus IS God. They are one. God became one of us solely so he could die for every wrong thing we do. He isn't a marytr at all.
savetheplanet PLATINUM said...
on Aug. 20 2011 at 10:38 pm
savetheplanet PLATINUM, Anaheim, California
45 articles 9 photos 564 comments

Favorite Quote:
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Wow, this is a beautifully written article and it's shown me a new perspective.  While I will remain Catholic I can empathize with some of your points.
ambnyc SILVER said...
on Aug. 20 2011 at 12:30 am
ambnyc SILVER, Rego Park, New York
6 articles 0 photos 133 comments

Favorite Quote:
You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams. - Dr. Seuss

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Please, one of you Christians, prove your God exists to me.

Oh, wait...you can't. :)

I'm a fan of this article.

ambnyc SILVER said...
on Aug. 20 2011 at 12:28 am
ambnyc SILVER, Rego Park, New York
6 articles 0 photos 133 comments

Favorite Quote:
You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams. - Dr. Seuss

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Voltaire said that. :)
ambnyc SILVER said...
on Aug. 20 2011 at 12:27 am
ambnyc SILVER, Rego Park, New York
6 articles 0 photos 133 comments

Favorite Quote:
You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams. - Dr. Seuss

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The point of life is to advance the human race.

As we have been doing for millions of years.

Steph0804 said...
on Aug. 10 2011 at 5:49 am
YES YES YES! YOU HIT IT RIGHT ON THE NAIL!
Steph0804 said...
on Aug. 10 2011 at 3:38 am
Please, let's stop trying to convert one another. Let's just agree to disagree. Just because my friend's a devout Christian, I don't spout big bang theory at her, and she doesn't quote the bible to me. We're cool with it. our relationship is totally separate from our religion.
Steph0804 said...
on Aug. 10 2011 at 3:34 am
Sheesh, again, wrong comment.
Steph0804 said...
on Aug. 10 2011 at 3:34 am

Please, can we just agree to disagree?

besides, I'm an atheist too, but the big bang and evolution is "crud" when everyone's trying to use it to convert you.