An Atheist's Creed

I believe in time,
matter, and energy,
which make up the whole of the world.

I believe in reason, evidence and the human mind,
the only tools we have;
they are the product of natural forces
in a majestic but impersonal universe,
grander and richer than we can imagine,
a source of endless opportunities for discovery.

I believe in the power of doubt;
I do not seek out reassurances,
but embrace the question,
and strive to challenge my own beliefs.

I accept human mortality.

We have but one life,
brief and full of struggle,
leavened with love and community,
learning and exploration,
beauty and the creation of
new life, new art, and new ideas.

I rejoice in this life that I have,
and in the grandeur of a world that preceded me,
and an earth that will abide without me.

It's Amazing!
Amazing that my life has become so meaningful. It has become meaningful through the rejection of what I once believed to be the meaning of life (ironic). In my youth my thinking was done for me, my beliefs were dictated to me, and the conclusions that I had drawn about life... were not really my own.

Then one day the magic wears off. Superstitions and fairy tales lose their glamour as the reasoning mind instills doubt. I don't regret in the slightest that I have chosen to listen to myself. To follow my doubts. To shake off the superstitious, the supernatural, and the mystical. To abandon guilt, self-loathing, and preconceived prejudices. To follow the logic of critical reasoning, logic, and science. Because now...

The world is truly marvelous. Life is truly meaningful. And I, am truly happy.

~Thaddeus