All people need something to believe in, else we succumb to nihilism. The question remains, "What do I believe, and to what end?"

I'm Atheist (Atheist simply meaning, "I think God probably doesn't exist." Obviously, nobody can truly know for sure because there is an endless amount of things that are not or can't be known in life without definitive proof in front of you. Any Atheist who knows anything about philosophy knows that any Atheist worth his salt is by definition agnostic, or else you must be some insanely arrogant ass who thinks he knows everything. A non-agnostic Atheist is basically the definition of 'anti science' by being closed off to the emergence of new evidence to say that they could be wrong), by virtue of the fact I think God probably doesn't exist, and even if he did I do not believe he could be evenly closely characterized by the descriptions of any major world religions.

Certainly, when I think logically about most of the standards of these religions I see plenty of savagery, barbarism, and tribalism indicative of the standards thousands of years ago in the world (Also some degrees of good too, I won't dismiss that - such as major charity organizations and contributions throughout history). Not that many of those things have improved that much in the time since, regardless.

Accordingly, I found value elsewhere. Reading Nietzche's works (contrary to what most think - Nietzche was a philosopher dedicated to articulating the manner by which one can create value in their life to stave off inevitable nihilism of a discerning eye). I am a 'Creator of virtue' who abides by the rules and values I create, not ones I am told to believe in without reason. The 'Ubermensch', a 'superman'; one not bound by the standards of belief of any other - totally self founded. Not so different from Christian fundamentalists and their distaste for iconography as Jesus spoke of.

So let's put it this way: I operate under the assumption my life is finite, so I must live every day filled with value and virtue, else I lose something irreplaceable each day in my limited existence. However, if God does exist, I believe an enlightened being would understand my conundrum here and the intricacies of our difficult and limited existences; and in any such a case, I'd much rather sit down and have conversations about existence with such a being rather than worship him. I'd be interested to have some logical arguments as far as the justifications for existence as it stands, the potentials of salvation or the like... But I am doubtful God really exists in the end.

I don't view Christians or any other group as an enemy or in opposition; I care about what people DO, less what they THINK. That is the standard by which I judge 'Justice'. Historically and philosophically there are plenty of things I take issue with, but overwhelmingly in this day and age Christians are some of the least intrusive groups to my ability to live and function as I please compared to the rest of society.

We might disagree on the nature of almost everything about existence, but we are countrymen who should share in the opinion that we wish for each other to live our respective lives to their best. I have no designs on their standards or ways of life, and I find that many don't have any on mine either (This is a positive change I have seen greatly change since my childhood as well).

Ultimately, it is up to the individual to bring themselves salvation within their limits. You are destined for harsh waters if what you seek in life is something genuine. That is the fundamental challenge of life, as I see it.

Hope I give a bit of insight to any fren who takes the time to read this. WWG1WGA