What am I?

I am frequently reminded, often in quite colourful terms, when debating religion in one internet forum or other that “all you atheists” are miserable, untrusting, aimless, disrespectful, conniving, thoroughly worthless and altogether somewhat of a blight on Gods wonderful creation.
Some times you get that feeling that some one is trying to tell you something but you just can’t put your finger on it.

Firstly, I am not an atheist, so they must be confusing me with some one else, I think of myself as Agnostic. I do not personally believe in God, but I can not prove or be 100% sure that he doesn’t exist (although I am 99.9% sure).

People, mainly theists and other religious types, seem to think that we (atheists and agnostics) have no respect for life.
I find this incredulous as I personally accept people as I find them.
I do not prejudge people because their belief system is not the same as mine.
I do not wallow in self superiority when speaking to Muslim, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians believing that they will all burn in hell fire as my religion or belief system is the only true one and there for everyone else will suffer.
I give equal worth to disasters that occur in Christian countries as I do those that occur in Islamic countries, because I see the people involved, not the religion.
If there were starving babies in an orphanage in some none Christian country my first thought would not be to say a prayer, or how to send them bibles, but how to get them food.
No one has ever, in my name, enslaved masses and preached conversion to Christianity or Islam on fear of death.
I don’t tell people “believe what I believe or you will die”.

I consider all life important and (dare I say it) sacred, as I believe we only have the one so it is important to use it right and for the right reasons.
I do not suffer from any preconditioned guilt when having sex for enjoyment rather than just reproduction;
I do not feel that I will be judged as being avaricious for having more chocolate than is good for me;
I have no shame about displaying pride in my own achievement.

We are often deemed as untrusting or dubious.
I trust what I can see or what can be proved, I am dubious of “facts” that can not be proved or of people who make decisions based purely on what a book tells them rather than what common sense tell them.
Some say it is only because I can not see God or that he works in ways that I don’t understand that I don’t trust him.
Well I have never actually seen the processor in my computer nor do I understand how it work, but trust it to do stuff on a daily basis.
When I see a wonderful sunset or beautiful mountain range I marvel at the immeasurable and destructive forces that were needed to create both, the sun with its countless billions of hydrogen reactions and the mountains with their crashing together of tectonic plates.
I don’t think “God put them there” and think nothing more of them.

We are often accused of being selfish.
I am nice to people because I choose to be, I do good things because it is usually the best for everyone, not because I am thinking to myself “If I am nice to people and do good things, I will surely go to heaven”.
I do not discount the opinions of other because their religion contradicts my religion and thus is wrong and therefore anything they have to say is wrong.
I treat people the same way I would expect them to treat me, regardless of age, sex, creed, colour or lifestyle. I do not view anyone that does not share my beliefs as some way less worthy.

I am certainly not aimless, I have goals like most people, but my goals are determined by my own abilities, not by dogma.
I want to live my life as peacefully as possible with out prejudice or preconceptions.
I want to sit on my death bed and ponder whether my life has any bearing or positive effects on the lives of the people I have known, not worrying if I have atoned for any forgotten sins I may or may not have committed.

I try not to be disrespectful, but some time it is extremely difficult to debate a point with some one who’s only retort is “well it says so in the Bible” with out blowing a fuse.
I do not look down on Mr Patel (yes, that is his name) at the local off licence because he is a Muslim, nor do I secret scoff at Mr and Mrs Greenman when I see them in the petrol station because they are Jewish.
I do not ignore my cousin, or not speak of him because he is openly gay.
In fact I regard everyone I meet with the same amiable standing. As I said previously, I see the people, not their choices.
I do, on the other hand disrespect ignorance and intolerance.


And on a final note, anyone who knows me personally will tell you, the one thing I have never been is Miserable.