The worst thing a people can do when faced with the unknown, and the unknowable; is to invent an explanation. When you invent an explanation for the unknown, it not only ends the sincere purist of the truth, it provokes inappropriate action.
So, as an atheist, as an individual who shuns faith and belief; I accept that there are questions that I cannot fully answer, that there are things that I don’t know, and can never know in my life time.
This lack of knowledge does not cause me distress, it is a motivation to know and understand fully what is knowable; and I am awed and inspired by the vastness of things I don’t know.
I don’t know how the universe was created, the exact origins of life on the planet, or how my life, or the ultimate fate of all life will conclude; I simply don’t know. I am familiar with the theories, some more valid than others, but they are only theories.
What I do know is that to accept myths, prehistoric superstition, and parables as absolute fact is insane. To believe or pretend to have the absolute truth is deadly. I know being absolutely assured that you are not only correct in your conclusions, but that they are sanctioned and supported my the single creator of the universe has driven more men to kill and die then any other idea or concept.
The myths that our ancient ancestors invented to help us understand our world and reduce our anxiety are now the biggest threat to our survival. We need to move beyond those notions and create a new era, beyond primitive notions of divinity, and medieval religious practices; and work to create a new world that both benefits from our creativity, and one that is spared from the arrogance of our beliefs.
