Atheism

I love theology, but I believe in no religion. This makes me an atheist.
Typical scene in which a stranger tries to figure me out:

Stranger: So, how is your relationship with God?

Me: I have none, I am an atheist.

Stranger: *gasp* You must be saved!! You should ask God to forgive your sinful soul! And I thought you were a decent person!! *runs away, terribly frightened*

Common Misconceptions about Atheism:
1) I do not HATE the world - in fact, I probably see more worth in it than you.
2) I do not ride with Satan every weekend collecting followers and burning Christian homes. (sorry guys, this is funny)
3) I am not immoral, wicked, evil, or whatever else you wish to call me. Many people believe that since we lack the conception of heaven or hell, we have no motivation to be good. This is not true.
3 ) I do not indulge in sex, alcohol, drugs, lies, etc. I am not a sinful person.
4) I am not intolerant of religions. In fact in my case, I am the opposite. The study of theology fascinates me.
5) I do not hate Christians. Some of my best friends are very strong Christians!
6) I am not an atheist because I just never tried to find God - I looked but He just wasnt there!
7) I DO NOT WORSHIP THE DEVIL!! (this is the silliest thing Ive ever heard of)
I am not a communist sympathizer. (I could fill another blog with my political views - maybe I'll do that later)
9) I am not depressed and have given up all hope of a God. (again, I am one of the happiest people you will ever meet)
And finally, my favorite...
10) I do not come from am EVIL family that did a very POOR job of raising me, I am not greedy, arrogant, in denial, aggressive, know-it-all, hopeless, wrong, corrupt, unloved, etc.
Yes, I belong to a stereotype.
Please help destroy this stereotype.
The word "atheist" just naturally holds a negative connotation whereas "Christian" sounds so positive and up-lifting.
There. Now that you know what I am NOT, I'll continue.
I despise the fact that while most religions are said to have their basis in love, they openly express their hatred to everyone who does not agree with their faith. This, obviously, directly stems from the obtrusive habit of imposing on other religions (another part of religion that I consider immoral - hence me writing this down in a non-confrontational manner)
Another reason why I am writing this is because I believe that religion should be questioned. In many parts of the Bible, God mandates that we should not question his power. If you can't question a religion though, how can you prove it is right or wrong? Also, the burden of proof lies with the believer to prove that something is, and not the non-believer to prove that it isn't. If I said that there are invisible pink elephants flying around the Earth, how would you prove there aren't?
Definition of God:
- an omnipotent, all-knowing, almighty being through which all is created and all is judged.
Lets look at just two of these qualifications.
1) God is good.
2) God is almighty.
God cannot be both of these statements, as explained by David Hume. If the evil in the world is intended by God, he is not good. If it violates his own intentions, he is not almighty. Most people would object and say that God can do evil but chooses not to do it. Well, if god is all good he can't choose to do evil things, can he? There are many objections to this, but none that holds, since God is ultimately responsible for the existence of evil. Besides, if only God can create he must have created evil. If somebody else (the devil) created evil, how can one know that God, and not Satan created the universe?
Is evil good?

If we simply examine even just one of these descriptions, we realize that God is self-contradictory:
2) God is almighty.
Can God create a rock so heavy that he can't lift it?
Either way you answer it, He can't do something.
... think about it for a while, I know I have ...
- The History of Religion -
(as I see it, again opinionated)
A long long time ago, man knew very little about this world. Man designed religion as an explanation to the environmental mysteries he could not understand - natural phenomenons like rain, thunder, lightning, earthquakes to the heaviest of these complexities like birth and death. Man attributed the cause of these changes with supernatural beings. There was a water God, a sky God, etc. As hundreds and hundreds of years passed, man grew more intelligent and solved some of these mysteries through the use of mathematics, science, and pure logic.
But, to this day, one of these is and will always be unanswerable:
What happens after we die?
Nobody can come out of the dead and say "Yup, there's a heaven" or "Nope, we all rot in hell" or "No, we reincarnate as animals" or "No, it's just a vast pit of obscurity". This is one of the fundamental reasons that religion exists. People latch on to religion because they do not want to accept death. I have first handedly experienced death in my life and I am not afraid of it at all. Robert Ingersoll described death in a very logical yet beautiful way when he once said:
"Life without death is like a bird in endless flight..."
Analogies do not prove anything, but they do help explain concepts, dont they?
Death is essential. Death is good.
Death is.. in fact, life.
Another reason why people love religion is because they want to feel accepted. They want to belong. It's natural. People go to church also for the people (socialization), the music, the youth, etc. There are many very appealing aspects to churches. I, personally, love the atmosphere. Have you ever realized that every church has its own ambience? They are very peaceful environments in which people can relieve themselves of the chaotic outside world that awaits them the next day.Ironic.. yes. But what a great idea!

But I am still an atheist.

I dont know how to properly conclude my thoughts, so I'll just leave you with this. If you have any problem with being my friend because of my religious convictions, keep in mind that I have been turned down many times before and I'm used to it by now. If you can't accept the fact that I think differently, its alright. I'll understand.
Thanks for reading...