For the first time in this blog's history, I have a guest article. Reference can be found at the bottom of the post. Enjoy.
Benefits of Being an Atheist
More often than not as an atheist, people want to pry into your reasoning and motivation for making such a choice. Reason and logic are the glue that holds atheists together, so a challenging discussion is always welcome. However, when the argument becomes heated, religious adherents often fall back on faith and the notion that their “plan” will one day become evident. This idea may offer comfort, but there are benefits of having an atheist worldview as well.
Adaptability
While religious people hold hard and fast to outmoded beliefs, atheists learn to adapt to change and don’t have to resist the inevitable. Evolution, be it societal or otherwise, will continue to push forward whether you like it or not. Social Darwinism is alive and well, and those who aren’t ready to change will soon find themselves left in the dust.
Healthy Realism
Realism is another notch in the atheist’s belt. Being able to look at things through a paradigm developed through authentic experience and education enables the atheist to accept things that are true and real without fear of repercussions in the religious context. When new discoveries or knowledge become available, atheists can look at the facts and make judgements based on reason and logic.
Skepticism
Questioning social and religious mores is another thing that atheists do quite often. Rather than blindly accepting what is given to them, atheist perform their due diligence and judge things based on their merit, not on the source of information. If the same source seems to be giving consistently inaccurate information, however, then the credibility of that source can be judged accordingly.
Education
Many atheists seem to know more about religion than religious adherents. That said, atheists can read religious texts dispassionately and take in the information to develop logical and reasonable arguments to the contrary. Spending time learning about what the other side thinks, feels, and believes can empower you to make informed arguments if need be without attachment.
Freedom
Ultimately, atheists experience true freedom. Being able to evaluate information and make choices without doing them because of an arbitrary belief system is one of the most empowering things that you can do. Additionally, being able to think and act without fear of retribution by an omnipotent being enables you to feel true freedom.
This post was contributed by Courtney Phillips, who writes about the cheapest MBA. She welcomes your feedback at CourtneyPhillips80 at gmail.com
