Written by Daniel Reid Stadler.
Some people claim atheist have no morals or atheists are selfish. Here’s my story. I was raised in a Missouri Lutheran Synod household. My uncle is a pastor, his lot in the church is to raise up church attendance. His sermons are some of the best writing I’ve ever read and he can bring an entire congregation to tears or joy in a few minutes. I was fully prepared to follow his footsteps and become a pastor myself because I deeply love humanity and want to help in any way I can. My personal faith, was similar to most people. I felt and believed God was love. And his son, Jesus Christ was the embodiment of love in human form. To be a Christian meant loving everyone and I also believed that if you love something or someone it must be allowed to follow its own path unless it is interfering with someone else. Over the years I’ve also learned about many other religions and most believers feel the same about their God. They may have different beliefs about freedom and personal choice but their God(s) are reflections of their own feelings about the world and humanity. Over the course of my spiritual journey I have come to realize that the Christian God is not a God of love. And that I can be a more loving person if I am honest with myself and everyone around me. I still believe loving your neighbor is the way to live your life. I don’t believe in the stories passed down by religious leaders from 2000+ years ago. I believe in humanity and the goodness everyone has in them at birth. Life can damage a person and change their view but we are all born perfect. As members of humanity we must care for all people especially the children. I care too much to believe a god exists who would allow the suffering I see everyday. If he/she does exist then that deity is not a god of love but is instead a god of pain and suffering. I don’t care how eternal and great the afterlife could be. I wouldn’t stand by and watch the suffering individual people go through and not act. Somehow an all powerful, all knowing, all aware deity allows this because heaven? That’s messed up. In the words of John Lennon, “I just believe in me…. And that’s reality.” I believe I have an obligation to help and show the love I feel for other people. Secular humanism requires caring for others and placing their needs before your own. Not because in the afterlife I will be granted something great. But because it is the right thing to do.
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