Do you believe in God?

I've decided to go in a slightly different direction with this blog entry, and I am hoping that none of my readers will be offended by my posting. I will be courageously talking about more than just shenanigans and nonsense this time around. Now, don't get me wrong. Shenanigans is nearly close to being in my top two favorite things in the world aside from cream filled donuts; however, I've failed to provide you all with practical news and current events. So in this entry, I've decided to discuss a very sensitive subject to many people, including myself at times: questioning the existence of God.

This is not a blog entry where I try to push all of my beliefs on you. Why? Because I really do not have any. I am not really down with organized religion and never will be. I like to think that there is a God watching over all of us and snagging the good hearted people when they pass, but who really knows?

In this entry, my main goal was to interview one Atheist, and one religious person. That didn't work out too well due to the religious person accepting to do the interview but then not completing it. So in this entry, I will be giving a mini introduction to Atheism, and will be interviewing an Atheist activist.

Atheism     [ey-thee-iz-uhm]    -nounOne who disbelieves or denies the existence of God or gods due to lack of evidence and logical explanations.

Am I an Atheist? No.  In fact, I strive for any explanation or hint in the world to believe there may actually be a God or higher power. However, the lack of logical evidence keep me from fully believing in organized religion and things of that sort.  I am very confused when it comes to religion. It doesn't make me a bad person, and It doesn't make an Atheist a bad person. If you think that  people like Atheists  want to believe that their is no existence of a higher power, you are sorely mistaken.

Why religion is so important to me, and why I struggle with it everyday.

A little ramble about my confused state of mind.

I've struggled with organized religion for quite some time, such as questioning the existence of the bible scriptures and what not. But now that I am older and notice the gaps and unanswered questions, I struggle with just the fact in believing a God of any kind. For many religious people and atheists it is an easy choice once they pick the route, but for me it is a constant struggle and I just can't ever seem to be comfortable with either choices.  I sure as hell do not want to believe that my deceased best friend is just rotting in the ground somewhere with no more choices. But another part of me questions every single theory and aspect of this mysterious Universe. It would be completely ignorant and difficult to believe that this infinite and unknown Universe was put here for our living existence. However, the fact that some people believe that this Universe was made with absolutely no help boggles my mind as well. There has to be a key to all of these answers. Why are we here? What happens when we die? How come murderers who go to jail and become super religious go to Heaven, but good respectable people who have their doubts about God go to hell? What happens when an unbaptized baby dies, do they go to hell too? Religion often seems too destructive and unacceptable more than willing to help others. Take the Salvation Army for example, a religious organization who denies homeless gay people. How come God doesn't love Gay people?  These are the questions that make me continue to search for my faith and secure belief in God, and until then I will keep searching.

Searching for answers, and asking what my peers think.

As I said earlier, I wanted to interview a religious person as well, but couldn't find one.  If you have any debate brewing inside of your head while reading my interview and would like to be interviewed as well- shoot me an email over at MissDeVille12@aol.com. There is no favoritism here with me, no mockery or accusation what so ever. I ask both sides some very logical questions I think. I really want answers and thoughts that other believers and non believers have- because I have no side really. I guess what they call me is an Agnostic.

 Agnostic    [ag-nos-tik]   -nouna person who holds that the existence of the ultimate cause, as god, and the essential nature of things are unknown and unknowable, or that human knowledge is limited to experience.

This interview I wrote out was given to Atheist activist Brian Delaney. 

Brian Delaney just started his very own blog of Atheism. 

No one is pushing any beliefs on anyone; however if you are in the same boat with Brian or myself, then I really encourage you to check out his brilliant writing. Brian is a Dean's List college student, with a good head on his shoulders and has a heart as big as both the Pacific & Atlantic Oceans combined. I definitely recommend being his friend, because he is the type of person that would give the shirt off his back for you.

Brian's Godless Blog of Atheism

Me: Thanks for joining me Brian. Are you ready for some in depth questions I have for you?

Brian: Thanks for having me, and yes bring them on!

Me: Was there ever a time when you believed in God?

Brian: Yes there was. When I was a kid I just kind of took it for granted that there was a God, because that was all I had been told. No one ever told me that there was a possibility that there might not be a God. Nobody ever told me that was an option. As I grew into my teens, I started to realize there were a lot of holes in organized religions, but I still believed in some sort of God up until a few years ago.

Me: Why did you decide that religion was not something that you wanted to be a part of?

Brian: I decided religion was no longer an option to me because it never made sense. Even from a young age I could see the huge holes and the stories that they were trying to make people believe. Every time I asked for an explanation of the holes in these stories- nobody could ever give me a satisfactory answer. I started to realize it was because there were no satisfactory answers.

Me: Afterlife isn’t a belief to you. Many people have a hard time grasping this concept because it is completely incomprehensible. My question is- Are you comfortable with being an Atheist? 
Brian: I would say that I am pretty comfortable being an Atheist. It is not something I would always want to go around telling people, even as outspoken as I am sometimes because I know that it is still looked down upon by some people.

Me: Have you evolved into a different person since you became an Atheist? What has being an Atheist done for you?

Brian: I wouldn’t say that I have evolved into a different person. I still have most, if not all the same morals and values that I have always had. I guess being an Atheist has made me see things in a different light. I look at things in more of a scientific way. I can’t just look at anything that I don't understand and dismiss it as an act of God. I want to know the real answers.

Me: Many believers turn to the higher power when they are in need of security, change or help of any kind. What are your views on prayer?

Brian: I think that praying is silly. They've done scientific studies that praying has no effect on anything.  I understand that it makes people feel better, but in my view it is no better than talking to an imaginary friend. It may get the job done, but it is not actually accomplishing anything. It is just making the person feel better.

Me: What do you do when you are in need of security, change or help of any kind?
Brian: I deal with it in ways that actually accomplish something. Depending on the situation, I’ll go to a trusted friend or relative, or even try to figure it out on my own; something with real results.

Me: Do you believe that religion can be helpful in any situation?  
Brian: Well, like we talked about with prayer- I think it can sometimes give people peace of mind, but in a way I feel like the false promises that religion give with things like prayer are doing more harm than good. It gives people a false sense of security. I think that the false promises of religion can sometimes lead people to make decisions that they wouldn't normally make because they think that they have a religion and God to fall back on and protect them.

Me: A loved one is on their death bed, and they believe in God. How do you react when they talk about going to the afterlife? In other words, is being an Atheist a strong belief to you, or something you would let slide for the sake of a loved one?  
Brian: First I would say to you that Atheism is a strong belief to me, but on the other hand I don't think that I would correct someone on their death bed. Although I believe that my beliefs are more realistic then theirs may be, I don't think that it is always my place to push my beliefs on others. On top of that, if someone is on their death bed- I don't think that I am going to convert them before they die because they probably had those beliefs for a long time before I came around.

Me: Plato has been known for quoting the following: “Atheism is a disease of the soul, before it becomes an error of the understanding." Many Christians have adopted this outspoken quote from the philosopher. Some people, often believers frown down upon Atheists for not believing God.  What would you like to say to these people? 
Brian: Oh that is a good question. I guess that I would say to those people- show me the evidence for a God; show me the evidence that what you believe is right as opposed to what I believe. I don't believe that my beliefs are necessarily 100% correct, but I think that there are a lot more pointing to my beliefs being correct than any kind of God or high power existence. I think people that use that Plato quote do not really understand Atheism or Atheist's beliefs.

Me: Any last words or messages you would like to get across to our readers? 

Brian: I think it is important for people to realize that Atheists or most of them anyways don't believe that we are 100% correct with our beliefs. Most of us simply believe that there is no good evidence for any type of God, and most of what we see in the Universe points to there not being a God. Most Atheists are just not sold on the so called "evidence" that is provided to us by organized religions. I think if anyone really objectively sits down and looks at the religious scriptures such as the bible, it's not difficult to see that the story does not add up. It's not surprising to see that the story does not add up because the scriptures were written by man, and not any kind of God or higher power. Why should we take mans word for these things when everything we've learned since then had directly conflicted with parts of it. For example: it was previously believed in Christianity that the Earth was the center of the Universe. Since then, obviously, we've learned the Earth isn't even the center of our solar system, let alone the galaxy. Of course Christianity was quick to change their beliefs once they couldn't deny it anymore, but that should just tell you that religion is more of a business more aimed at gaining followers than it is at giving truth.

I'd like to thank Brian Delaney for helping me conduct my very first interview, and for bravely putting himself out there and answering some questions I've been wanting to ask.
Again, you can check out Brian's Blog right here.

Now it's all of your turn. Comment below to share your beliefs, or if you have anything to contribute to this article. Keep in mind that this is a free speech zone, however please be respectful to others. If you feel like doing this in a more private way, you can just quietly take the poll below. It is completely confidential and I'd love all of your feedback!