Happiness Beats God. | Teen Ink

Happiness Beats God.

February 22, 2010
By Princeling BRONZE, Kent, Other
Princeling BRONZE, Kent, Other
2 articles 0 photos 6 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure."


The Oxford dictionary is wrong: atheism is not the belief that God does not exist; it is the lack of belief in God. For me I am an atheist the same way I am an a-fairyist and an a-Santa-Clausist. I shouldn’t even have to say it. The fact that I do have to tell people at all is strange. I’m the one with the non-belief, why is it always me who has to explain myself to your belief?

You don’t have to understand it. You could think I’m wrong, though 95 percent of the time the arguments Christians present me with are erroneous and show a complete lack of understanding about evolution, the big bang theory, or even religion itself. (And trying to argue creationism makes me barf a little in my mouth, to be honest.) But here’s the big question: why are you arguing with me at all? I’m atheist. Big whoopdeedoo. I’m not going around bashing Christianity (unless one is chiefly talking about Church corruption and not belief), and I don’t even try to argue my side unless you intentionally provoke me with a nonsensical debate I can’t help debunking. I respect your belief, so why can’t you respect my non-belief? Please. Don’t pray for me. Don’t ‘understand’ me and then condescendingly tell me I’m going to hell, which I don’t believe in either.

For me, religion, or even the lack of religion, is not a big deal. I can survive. I can be moral. I can be happy, and yes, I can be fulfilled. If you need God, if you believe in Jesus – by all means, go ahead. I’m not stopping you, nor am I trying to stop you. But the patronising way many Christians regard atheists is unbearable. If you’re not one of them, I love you. Think I’m wrong all you like. Just don’t say it to my face and don’t try to convert me. I can be your neighbour, I can help you, I can love you without believing in what is for me a fairytale. (And, quite frankly, if you believe I’m an ignorant fool who doesn’t know anything about religion, then I am atheist all the more. How can I believe in something without understanding it? I don’t understand it and couldn’t understand it anymore than you can understand why I’m atheist. Besides, more than likely you hardly understand anything about it either, and was just brought up to believe. Which is fine, just don’t try to preach your ignorance at me in a condescending way, it kills me.)

I am not confused. It is true, I cannot prove to you God does not exist anymore than you can prove to me he does. You can try, if you like. But you won’t succeed anymore than I would in doing the opposite. Hell, (By Jove, cheesy pun intended!) it doesn’t even matter to me if God really, really, really exists or not. I have never felt a higher divine being somewhere up there. I have never felt I needed someone to talk to, to rely on, to believe in. I have never needed God, and I never will. I always felt stupid when my mother told me to pray, because I never truly believed anyone was listening. My logic tells me I couldn’t believe in God even if I wanted to. As for what created the universe, there are many theories, but I don’t care. I’m just trying to live. Without God.

Why? Because all that is necessary for me is my self-belief. I work hard and trust in my own abilities. I don’t need help from God, and I get myself through hard times by relying on myself, my family and my friends, all of whom are 100 percent real, tangible people. I create my own future, and my own past. I set myself my own challenges, or life does. And I get through it because I’m strong. Sometimes it is lonely. Sometimes it is hard. This is life, people. Life is not easy, but I am determined to make something of it with my own hands, because it is precious and only comes once. What more, I make my own accountability. I suffer the consequences of what I do, but it’s alright because everything is my own choice, my own decision. I do all this without the need to believe. For me, God is not truth. Happiness is. I can be happy without God, and that is true.

If you need to, if you want to, if you were brought up to believe, if you were converted: then believe. It is your choice. Just like atheism is mine, though to be honest it is more a natural state of mind than a conscious choice. Don’t hate me for it; it won’t do you any favours in the literal or divine sense. Why be so defensive if you ‘know’ you’re right? Class me as a loony bin, I’m a pretty happy one, thanks. I prefer to spend my life enjoying the physical, tangible world we call life than chasing phantoms neither you nor I can prove is real. Even inexhaustible philosophical questions like “Who am I” are more interesting to me than the question of God. At least I know that the metaphysical human identity exists for sure, whatever it is.

Life is beautiful, and so is love. This is something everyone can agree on and believe in. Life is sometimes simpler than you think. Instead of the pursuit of God, I choose to make my path the pursuit of happiness. This is what I believe.


The author's comments:
The ignorance and bigotry on this website frustrated and then inspired me.

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This article has 97 comments.


CollinF BRONZE said...
on Jan. 22 2012 at 4:12 pm
CollinF BRONZE, Concord, Georgia
1 article 0 photos 16 comments

Favorite Quote:
"If man were made simply to be happy, he would not have been made to die. "

The Bible is an historically reliable source. Why would you doubt its reliability? It's perfectly credible. And there's really no reason to say Jesus was just a moral teacher. The gospels are the only reliable biography we have of Him, and they obviously tell a different story. It's like saying Alexander the Great just claimed to be his aunt's chimney-sweep. But of course, the Alexander example would be more likely than the Jesus one, considering his biographies aren't nearly as reliable as Jesus's. :)

Genya GOLD said...
on Dec. 30 2011 at 8:52 pm
Genya GOLD, Bridgewater, New Jersey
10 articles 0 photos 52 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Never do anything that you wouldn't want to explain to the paramedics."-Unknown Author

Of course, that's kind of what I mean. He did nothing wrong, and he died anyway. Even if it didn't reach everyone, it was still significant.

on Dec. 30 2011 at 7:27 pm
BlueRain BRONZE, Clarkston, Michigan
2 articles 5 photos 254 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you was beyond my control."

Just because they didn't switch over to your side does not mean they did not view it.

on Dec. 30 2011 at 7:23 pm
BlueRain BRONZE, Clarkston, Michigan
2 articles 5 photos 254 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you was beyond my control."

To judge whether something is lesser or greater, you would have to experience with both. You can't say that one basket of apples has more apples than any other basket if you haven't seen other baskets (yes, I use metaphors like this). To say "that's just me" contradicts your statement anyway, because to make a comparison you have to have more than one of something.

on Dec. 30 2011 at 7:20 pm
BlueRain BRONZE, Clarkston, Michigan
2 articles 5 photos 254 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you was beyond my control."

But why should love being a chemical reaction be so wrong? Why is it less beautiful than God just doing his magic and making you connect? Isn't it amazing that matter, actual matter is coursing through your body when someone touches you, that your body actually changes because someone made contact with you, and millions of tiny nerve endings are lighting up and sparking and traveling through you and that their body is reacting in a similar way? According to science, love is literally a light show inside of you and in those moments you are different because of another person. And isn't it amazing that a similar kind of chemical was within a food that was once a plant? That everything is connected? How can that Not be beautiful, that love is something that really exists and not just an idea?

on Dec. 30 2011 at 7:11 pm
BlueRain BRONZE, Clarkston, Michigan
2 articles 5 photos 254 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you was beyond my control."

And should it matter what is "true" happiness? The point is that you are HAPPY. Why do you have to ruin the happiness of others by saying your way is the one way? If you are happy, why does it matter at what "level" you are at? If your happiness fulfills you, LET IT BE.

on Dec. 30 2011 at 7:09 pm
BlueRain BRONZE, Clarkston, Michigan
2 articles 5 photos 254 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you was beyond my control."

This is just ridiculous. I don't think you people even know what the definition of happiness is. Happiness; state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Happiness is an emotion, which means that it is felt individually by each person. Often we say that we "share" in one another's happiness, and all that means is that their happy emotion has made another happy. It is a positive reaction to something we find pleasing. To say that true happiness lies in only a certain way, in this case, "your way", or "God's way" is silly, because as an individual you can't know the emotions of another person and how their body reacts to pleasing experiences. You can say that the happiness you have with a boyfriend/girlfriend or husband/wife is "the true happiness" because it is so intense and you can't see how it could be better any other way. But how would you know? There Could be couples that are much happier than you, or there could be another woman/man that would make you even happier. The only thing we can be absolutely certain of is the Pursuit of happiness, because we don't know the limits of happiness, and I hope that pursuit never ends.

on Dec. 30 2011 at 7:00 pm
BlueRain BRONZE, Clarkston, Michigan
2 articles 5 photos 254 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you was beyond my control."

Ha, too young to be an atheist? One could easily say you're too young to believe in God.. How do you know something exists when you're 5; your parents told you. Lots of kids say they believe in the Bible, yet I can probably guarantee that less than 25% have read it. Not only did they take it at face value but when they get older most don't bother to read the book they're so devoted to.

on Dec. 30 2011 at 6:52 pm
BlueRain BRONZE, Clarkston, Michigan
2 articles 5 photos 254 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you was beyond my control."

Yeah, he probably is.

on Dec. 30 2011 at 6:49 pm
BlueRain BRONZE, Clarkston, Michigan
2 articles 5 photos 254 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you was beyond my control."

Why does it matter whether Jesus's sacrifice actually did what he thought it would? Does that make it a waste? Does that make it any less special? A person can make a beautiful painting as a gift, and it would still be just as beautiful even if the person didn't want it or it never ended up being given. In a sense I don't believe that Jesus's sacrifice saved anyone from sin in the magical sense that it was made out to be. I don't think that just because he sacrificed himself that the gates of heaven opened. What I think it actually did was teach people about forgiveness and passion, and from these lessons many chose to become better people. I'm consider myself an agnostic and I would value what he did no more or less than if I was a Christian believer.

on Dec. 8 2011 at 2:20 pm
forever_an_artist BRONZE, Mint Hill, North Carolina
1 article 0 photos 25 comments
I would say there is "true" happiness without God, (as opposed to "false" happiness) but it's supply is very limited. And, according to my own experience, the happiness of God really is much greater. But maybe that's just me.

on Dec. 8 2011 at 2:13 pm
forever_an_artist BRONZE, Mint Hill, North Carolina
1 article 0 photos 25 comments

I think God is the greatest happiness in the universe; but you wouldn't know unless you have actually experienced Him. There is no peace, joy and sweetness that compares to that of someone who is in Christ.

What religion fails to tell us is that after Christ died on the cross he ascended and became the Holy Spirit who gives His life to us to be our enjoyment. That's what being a christian is really all about; enjoying the life of Christ in us. (:

So trust me; I've enjoyed earthly satisfaction and I've enjoyed the satisfaction of God's life, and the latter is incomparably greater.


Genya GOLD said...
on Nov. 17 2011 at 4:54 pm
Genya GOLD, Bridgewater, New Jersey
10 articles 0 photos 52 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Never do anything that you wouldn't want to explain to the paramedics."-Unknown Author

What an injustice then...

on Nov. 17 2011 at 4:50 pm
VandalSpirit DIAMOND, Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin
51 articles 9 photos 185 comments

Favorite Quote:
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of Gods great love, we are not consumed. His compassion never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

True, but the officials still saw nothing wrong with him.

Genya GOLD said...
on Nov. 17 2011 at 3:01 pm
Genya GOLD, Bridgewater, New Jersey
10 articles 0 photos 52 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Never do anything that you wouldn't want to explain to the paramedics."-Unknown Author

1. Okay, I know I was a bit upset there...

2. And thank you for you thoughts.

but..

3. I was making a historical reference, not a biblical one.

I mean, maybe it was that way in history too, but if you want to win an argument against an atheist, using the bible isn't helping.

 


on Nov. 17 2011 at 6:25 am
VandalSpirit DIAMOND, Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin
51 articles 9 photos 185 comments

Favorite Quote:
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of Gods great love, we are not consumed. His compassion never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

1. I'm not sure I consider those Christians following God's will.

2. Neither do I. But I do think He wanted everyone to get the chance to know the truth.

3. If you read the bible, the officials and people of the government saw that he did nothing wrong (except the pharisees) It was only the people who accused him of claiming to be the Messiah. It isn't treason and could only be considered a crime if untrue which it is true so he really didn't commit any kind of crime.


Genya GOLD said...
on Nov. 16 2011 at 5:30 pm
Genya GOLD, Bridgewater, New Jersey
10 articles 0 photos 52 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Never do anything that you wouldn't want to explain to the paramedics."-Unknown Author

If a dead soldier's funeral is picketed, and the people doing it are Christian, is it still justified?

I don't think Jesus died so that Christians everywhere could give atheists a guilt trip...

And officially, he was convicted of treason, okay?


on Nov. 16 2011 at 6:31 am
VandalSpirit DIAMOND, Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin
51 articles 9 photos 185 comments

Favorite Quote:
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of Gods great love, we are not consumed. His compassion never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

This is well-written. I can see why it got top voted especially because it's so controversial. Anyway, thought I'd mention something. You said it didn't matter to you if God really was real, but think about it. That means Jesus really did die. He really did get flogged, spit on, shoved to the ground, had a crown of thorns shoved into his head, was humiliated, painstakingly made his way up a hill carrying his death sentence on his back, hung on a big wooden cross, nails piercing his wrist as his breaths became fast and short because his lungs were stretched. He watched people gamble for his clothes, throw insults at him and spit at his feet telling him to call on God to take him off....and all he could say was, "Father forgive them. For they do not know what they're doing." Forgive them. He was being tortured and ridiculed so you could get into heaven and as people made a fool of him, he just loved them with all his heart. He saw that unless he took action you yourself would not be allowed into heaven and he sacrificed everything so you had that beautiful chance. And you say it doesn't matter if he exists. You're just another soldier spitting at his feet.

on Oct. 15 2011 at 9:08 am
JillianNora SILVER, Forest Park, Illinois
8 articles 2 photos 46 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity." -1 Timothy 4:12

Well said.

on Oct. 4 2011 at 4:10 pm
IamtheshyStargirl PLATINUM, Lothlorien, Utah
44 articles 16 photos 2206 comments

Favorite Quote:
Boredom instigates extreme creativity.
~Amoniel

"Bowing gratefully to all of my subjects, 'thank you. Thank you. The pleasure is mine." Nah, I'm just kidding. We're all kings together.'"
~Thesilentraven

Sound like whoever you want, I think you're at your best when you sound like you ;)