Before I was able to admit I was an atheist, I always was. My definition of god, was that much of Einstein‘s:
I do not believe in a personal god and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religion than it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it.
I was always amazed by the expansive universe and it’s objects swirling about. My god was the every-flowing energy throughout space and time. Nothing like the Judea-Christian version of god.
That never changed. I am still in awe of the universe, but finally was able to admit what I love and feel within me is nature. Saying “I’m an atheist” or “there is no god” it is still so difficult these days… due to the incorrect negative stereotypes associated with being logical. When I was a kid, I never made an out-right atheist statement, but I sure laughed at anyone who believed in heaven or hell. As an innocent child I’d ask, “Wait, seriously? You believe that?” It seems rude today; however, children are known for being brutally honest. I understood how the idea of heaven was (and still is) a comforting thought, but also so selfish! As a young idealistic humanist, it horrified me that people actually couldn’t except the truth about death. Why isn’t the idea of becoming energy and always existing in nature comforting? To think you and your family’s spirits are floating around forever in some other plain of existence, to think you’re lifetime must last infinitely, how awfully incredibly selfish!
“A man’s ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.” – Albert Einstein
