Look at the following list:
Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, Woody Allen, Lance Armstrong, Isaac Asimov, Richard Branson, Warren Buffett, James Cameron, George Carlin, John Carmack, Adam Carolla, Noam Chomsky, David Cross, Alan Cumming, Rodney Dangerfield, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Ani DiFranco, Micky Dolenz, Harlan Ellison, Richard Feynman, Harvey Fierstein, Larry Flynt, Dave Foley, Jodie Foster, Janeane Garofalo, Bob Geldof, Ricky Gervais, Ira Glass, James Gleick, Robert Heinlein, Katharine Hepburn, Christopher Hitchens, Jamie Hyneman, Eddie Izzard, Penn Jillette, Billy Joel, Angelina Jolie, Diane Keaton, Michael Kinsley, Artie Lange, Richard Leakey, Bruce Lee, Tom Lehrer, Tom Leykis, James Lipton, H.P. Lovecraft, Bill Maher, John Malkovich, Barry Manilow, Todd McFarlane, Sir Ian McKellen, Arthur Miller, Frank Miller, Marvin Minsky, Julianne Moore, Rafael Nadal, Randy Newman, Mike Nichols, Jack Nicholson, Bob Odenkirk, Patton Oswalt, Keanu Reeves, Rick Reynolds, Gene Roddenberry, Joe Rogan, Henry Rollins, Andy Rooney, Salman Rushdie, Bob Simon, Steven Soderbergh, Annika Sorenstam, George Soros, Howard Stern, Pat Tillman, Linus Torvalds, Alan Turing, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Steven Weinberg.
What do all these people have in common? There rich, famous, are charitable, and are all atheists or agnostics. look at this story on charitable Atheists. you can also check out the Kiva Atheist group donation page which has loaned more than $2,828,700 to people who they have never met, a true act of faith.
Atheists are often seen as arrogant, uncaring, unspirited, and or criminally minded. Just look at this post found on yahoo answers, its sad to see people put other beliefs under an umbrella but I also understand that posters point of view. The thing we have to realize is, its not always black and white.
Atheists often feel disenfranchised because there are so little of them. Often the most reasonable voice is drowned out by the masses because its the christians who are less able to have an open dialogue when they know very little about their own religion. Being an atheist myself, Ive studied alot of other religions to come to my final conclusion. I was often the "just in case" believer. But at one point after praying I though to myself, What makes me so special? There are dying children in the world from diseases, malnutrition, and im here praying for a certain sports team, a better day at work tomorrow, or hopeful in the fact that I get to see another tomorrow. Its the ultimate form of megalomania, a sad reality for me was when I became so intertwined in the belief and not the message.
Dont get me wrong, the bible has some good moral stories, but it is also filled with hateful vitriol, violence, and downright questionable myths and fables. What makes christians so adamantelly believe their got versus the 400+ others that existed? Even the ones before the Jesus myth. What about Greek Gods? The Crusades? What about the facts like flat earth, 6000 year earth, or no mentions at all about dinosaurs in the bible, unicorns (still nowhere to be found), the missing rib, the 30 years that passed after Jesus' resurection and the bible was written, and what about the poor platipus. What was God thinking with that poor animal? Christians can't even believe in how to teach the bible, verses, and teachings. Why do you think we have so many denominations? They just can't agree!!
The truth is we will never trully know who is right, religion has always fueled wars, and it does so to this day. I just wish someday christians realize that just because you are born again doesnt mean that your past is in the clear. If you dont want to repent your sins, maybe you should'nt have sinned in the first place. Just be good to you and your brothers and listen to one another, we can all find common ground, and in the end, we are all fighting a losing battle. Just always remember, God may or may not exist, but you DO! so what makes YOU so special?
