(Via Andy Grey)
I was raised in a tolerant Buddhist family since I was a child. When I was 14, I was constantly bullied in class. I decided then that if a benevolent higher power existed, he’d take care of the bullies for me. So I prayed, and it didn’t work. I was still picked on every single day, because I was short and fat.
I stopped believing in any benevolent higher power at that moment, and that’s probably when I became an atheist. After I stopped praying, I started taking action by studying. Eventually I did well enough to enter a special programme at the end of the year, leaving all the bullies to rot in the regular-ability classes. That was about when I realised I needed something to get rid of all the ex-Buddhist notions I still had, and hence I found support in atheist authors as well as a group of atheist and non-theist friends.
After reading and hearing countless explanations both online and offline, I now feel confident in my atheism. I no longer fear horror movies, because I know that ghosts and other supernatural occurrences are unscientific and unproven, and I don’t feel a tinge of doubt that any god, being or other supernatural power does not exist.
I now refuse to believe in anything that is not proven by the scientific method; I have put my faith in the power of reason. I believe that we as humans have one life, and that we are the sole agents of change that can help mankind. There is no God nor other higher power, and nobody’s looking out for us but ourselves. Hence, you could say I have gained faith in reason and humanity.
