Atheism is a personal choice

1 He called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases,2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. 5 As for those who do not welcome you, when you leave their town shake the dust from your feet as evidence against them.' Luke 9:1,2,5 (NJB)

The above quote was the original mandate that Jesus allegedly gave his twelve apostles. Even then he gave the people a choice to either accept him or reject them. He did not instruct them to force their theology down people’s throats or to fight with unbelievers regarding their beliefs. In fact he also stated: 9 But avoid foolish speculations, and those genealogies, and the quibbles and disputes about the Law -- they are useless and futile.10 If someone disputes what you teach, then after a first and a second warning, have no more to do with him:

According to the bible from the beginning in the O.T to the N.T. it has always been a matter of choice to either accept or reject what they preach. Today’s Christians completely ignore this mandate. They try to influence our politicians and legislators in order to make laws that conform with their religious worldview. They openly condemn any action that goes against their beliefs and their so called divine moral codes. The bible states that you shall not judge so that you will not be judged but it seems like that is all that Christians do.

They judge the way we dress, the way we walk and the lifestyles we as individuals choose for ourselves. They are oppressed by their own beliefs yet they want to oppress the rest of us with that nonsense they chose to believe and accept. They contradict the mandate to just leave us to our own “evil” devices.

Theists need to recognize that just as they have made a choice to believe in the fairy tales and myths included in an ancient book, we too have chosen the opposite. I as an atheist who has been a believer and upon closer study and scrutiny of the scriptures has chosen to abandon those beliefs should not have to justify my choice to anyone but myself. I hate it when a theist asks why and then they try to explain to me what has happened by spewing that same doctrinal drivel that they themselves have been deceived with.

Atheism is not a religion nor is it a lifestyle; it is a worldview, one that does not include a belief in the biblical God or any other gods for that matter. Supernaturalism has no place in the rational mind and in the natural world. We have no doctrines or creeds to follow and we don’t congregate to worship nature or nothingness. When we do get together is to discuss the latest scientific discoveries or legislations that threaten our way of life.

One of the things that irritated me the most about theism is the threat of eternal damnation simply for not believing or in their terminology for backsliding (leaving the faith). The threats of what a fearful thing it is to fall into the hands of an angry God etc. I think that aside from my personal choice to abandon my beliefs based on my own studies and conclusions that this last thing did not help in any way in getting me back.

The biblical God reminds me of some privileged snot nose teen whose dad is the sheriff of a town and feels that that give him carte blanche to do as he pleases without any repercussions. The idea of a tyrannical God just makes me sick to my stomach and in my opinion is not in any way worthy of praise but rather rebellion. I choose to not believe for many reasons some logical and reasonably thought out and some just outright personal. But the way I see it at least in my own life I have no use for gods or deities in my life. Life is hard enough here on Earth to be worrying whether some mythical heaven or place of torment awaits me upon my demise.

Christians don’t leave you be, they insist that you believe. Well I insist that you leave me alone I have no interest in pursuing your myths any further nor bowing down to your imaginary deity. Life is filled with enough challenges on a daily basis for me to waste my time with fairy tales and doctrinal drivel.