by
Scally » Sun Dec 23, 2007 9:58 pm
We atheists do not believe in gods, or angels, or demons, or souls that endure, or a meeting place after all is said and done where more can be said and done and the point of it all revealed. We don't believe in the possibility of redemption after our lives, but the necessity of compassion in our lives. We believe in people, in their joys and pains, in their good ideas and their wit and wisdom. We believe in human rights and dignity. We may believe that the universe is pitilessly indifferent but we know that friends and strangers alike most certainly are not.
I don't believe in any god, but I do believe in those people who have struggled through pain and found beauty and peace in their religion. I am not at odds with them.
I know that the theory of natural selection is the best explanation for the emergence and development of human beings and other species. I know that our bodies are composed of flesh, bone, and blood, and cells, and molecules. I also know that this does not account for all aspects of our lives, but I know no-one who ever thought it did. That is why we have music, dance, science, poetry and novels, and friendships, and practical jokes, and photography, and a sense of awe at the immensity of time and the planet's natural history, and walks with loved ones in the dripping wet woods because, well just because, and passionate reverence for both those heroes who believed and those who did not, and have all this without needing a god to stitch together the tapestry of life or take away the fear of the unknown.
Your Mum will be with you always...in your heart and those wonderful memories. She helped to make you who you are, and she lives on in you. And whilst the path of discovery that has led me to this understanding is very different from Rosemary's, our conclusions are identical - your Mum wants you to face the future with a smile on your face and a skip in your toes.