Why I'm Atheist
The rug was ripped out from under me when I found out that the so-called psychic I trusted with every fiber of my most absurdly gullible being, Sylvia Browne, was a fraud (special thanks to stopsylivia.com). This led me to an honest search for the truth without any blinders on. I became truly open-minded for the first time in my life. I no longer felt I had the answers: I was lost. The foundation I once based my views and paradigm on had collapsed like the feeble house of cards it was.
I was able to allow skeptic and atheist arguments to actually sink in for the first time and they made sense, things started to click. I learned critical thinking skills, I learned what constituted real evidence and why evidence is necessary to take anything seriously. I started caring about what is actually true rather than what I wanted to be true and realized there is a difference.
I didn't reach my current position easily or lightly. There was some discomfort involved in trying to imagine a godless universe as well as a reality with no afterlife. It felt incredibly unnatural and counter-intuitive, however, it got easier with time. I had to let go of a lot of very cherished, comforting beliefs. I still have some trouble with "knowing" there isn't an afterlife. But I have reached a point of no return. I can't go back to being delusional. And despite the lack of comfort, I still choose reality over fantasy. I would rather learn to appreciate reality for what it is, even if it isn't what I'd like it to be than appreciate something that is made up, for then I would never be able to appreciate the real world or real amazing wonder and nature of the universe.
