stateofkind:

I do not believe in God, because I have no reason to assume there is one (or more). I realize that religion is a very touchy subject, but I’ll try to explain my ideas without offending anyone.

• If there is a God who would want me to believe, I would expect him or her to give me a personal sign of existence. Something along the lines of: “Stijn, I am God, and I exist.” If he or she really is almighty, that should not be a problem. Without such a signal, a good and reasonable God could in no way blame me for not believing if all else I have to guide me is the conviction of other people.

• I strongly reject some of the morals that are associated with Christianity. Even if a God does exist, I would refuse to worship him or her if perfectly normal things like homosexuality, masturbation and birth control are considered sins, because they are not. If there is a God who’s truly good, he or she would not condemn people who don’t share the same values. 

• I believe that humans are animals, except more intelligent. This means that if humans go to heaven, so do animals. Considering the huge amount of insects that have ever lived on this earth, heaven would be crawling with them, and a hereafter filled with insects is not exactly what I’d call a paradise.

Not believing in God does not mean that I don’t respect people who do. I believe that religion is a personal matter, and if you have reasons to believe in God, I completely understand and respect that. I am me and you are you, and we are both entitled to our own beliefs. The only thing that I will not respect, is people who impose their believes on others.

Live and let live.