If you're an atheist....

In this blog I'll be listing the advantages of being an atheist. I realize not all atheists think the same way, so this will be MY list of what new possibilities opened for me and which important realizations came to me after deciding to become an atheist. It doesn't have to be the same for everybody, that's why this blog will be an invitation for people to submit their own "if you're an atheist...." ideas.

 This is my list:
  

• If you are an atheist, you don't have to submit yourself to unquestionable authorities that brand their mandates as "orders from god."

• If you are an atheist, you are free to think about the world and see it in thousands of different perspectives, and not be bounded by an imposed world-view which threatens you with eternal torture if you ever dare to question it.

• If you are an atheist, you don't have to adhere to silly fairytales to explain the world around you. You are free to learn and explore the scientific answers to the most important questions, and equip yourself with knowledge that will help you work more effectively in the reality we are all bounded to.

• If you are an atheist, you don't have to scare your kids and traumatize them with HELL.

• If you are an atheist, you are free to enjoy all sorts of art, whether it be; music, books, movies, paintings, poems, novels, television , etc....without having to refrain from them because they are, in some way, "linked to Satan." Yes, you can watch Harry Potter now.

• If you are an atheist, you have MUCH better things to do with your time than shoving your religion down everyone's throat, trying to keep adolescent boys from masturbating and trying to incite as much hate and prejudice against homosexuals as possible, so that then gays will commit suicide, so that then you can use those statistics as proof that homosexuality is "unhealthy."

• If you are an atheist, you don't believe the world is gonna end soon, so you have more than enough reasons to take care of our planet for the sake of future generations, and create a better world for them. In other words; Jesus is NOT coming, so let's do something about Global Warming.

• If you are an atheist, you understand the risks of taking things on faith. You examine claims based on the evidence offered, and you reject them if they don't meet their burden of proof.

• If you are an atheist, you don't believe God's watching out for you, so you go to the doctor more often, check the weather reports before going on a trip, make budget plans to make sure you don't spend more than you have, check your car's breaks and tires regularly and make absolutely sure you don't leave things of great importance to chance, like your kids future.

• If you are an atheist, you do good things for goodness's sake, and not for some reward, or to avoid a certain punishment.

• If you are an atheist, you understand that not everything's in black and white, there are lots of gray areas. There's no reason to demonize the other side. We are able to have a rational debate with the opposition without attributing their way of thinking to evil mystical creatures.

• If you are an atheist, you understand that there is no such thing as an absolute truth and, therefore, you don't believe anyone has special access to it. You understand that unquestionable authorities DO NOT exist, that EVERYTHING should be subject to questioning and that no authority can forbid you from doing so. You are free to recognize that we are all FLAWED human beings trying to get a grasp of the world, and that NO ONE is in a privileged place to learn the truth.

• If you are an atheist, you don't think the Pope, or any of the bishops involved in the child abuse scandal, has a "get out of jail free-card" for being in the V.I.P. section of their invisible imaginary friend in the sky. Therefore, you think that the Pope and the church leadership involved in the scandal should be trialed for, not only have known of the abuse cases and done nothing, but also for doing the best they could to cover it up, and that they should be sent to jail if found guilty.

• If you are an atheist, the ONLY reason you'll behead a person for drawing a cartoon of someone you admire is if you are bat-shit crazy.

• If you are an atheist, you'll at least have much better reasons to oppose legislation to stop Global Warming than YAHWEH's promise to Noah in Genesis that he would never destroy the Earth with water again.

• If you are an atheist, you won't have a world-view so weak that it feels threatened by Harry Potter and Avatar.

• If you are an atheist, you can let go of the GUILT. You don't believe Jesus sacrificed himself for you, you don't believe you had any part in it and you don't believe his blood magically saved you from a certain doom (which is ironically the result of the system he himself set in place). You can rest all day on Sundays, you can brush your teeth and go straight to bed, you can have safe sex with your girlfriend/boyfriend if you choose to, all of this without feeling guilty.

• If you are an atheist, you understand that this life is the only one we have. This will give you a better sense of how incredibly valuable yours and others people's life really is. You will feel motivated to live life to the fullest, live everyday as if it was the last, and leave a legacy for generations to come.

• If you are an atheist, you don't believe in god's miracles, so if you or a loved one is diagnosed with a terminal disease, you understand your/his life is close to an end. So, instead of wasting time praying or making "deals with God" so he will save you, you'll enjoy your last days on Earth as best as you can, and be grateful for the opportunity to experience the world and explore its mysteries.

Ok, this is all I can think of for know. I encourage you to leave your entries in the comment section. I'd like to know what door, what possibility, what new adventure opened for you after becoming an atheist. It could be something personal, it could be something general, or it could be related to an issue faced by the society you live in or in your everyday life. Thanks in advance everyone!