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Michelle Rhea | all galleries >> Galleries >> poetry > I Am An Atheist
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I Am An Atheist

It is not for a lack of desire,
for who would not want an Omnipotent Being
looking out for one's welfare,
protecting one's loves?

It is not for a streak of rebellion,
for I live my life no differently
than most who believe in God.

It is not for disappointment
in prayers unanswered,
for my life is good.
Some call it "blessed".

It is not due to misunderstanding,
for once I believed as they do,
bible at my bed, read through
dark nights of doubt,
praises to God in the morning.

It is not due to anger at clergy,
nor encountering the wrong church
or hypocrite laity,
for I've known many wonderful believers.

It is not hatred, fear, pride,
selfishness, or lack of education;
It is not bigotry, persecution, or immorality
that prevents me from believing.

I am an atheist,
not believing in the gods of today
for the same reason believers
disbelieve
in the gods of yesterday.


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TotLeigh17-Nov-2010 19:36
Whoa! You really don't need three of the same post :)
My apologies, I'm new here :)
TotLeigh17-Nov-2010 19:31
Hmm, this left me so speechless that I had no choice but to sign up for a trial subscription just to tell you so. I haven't got any sage words or deep truths to leave with you.
I wonder what God's poem to you would look like?

Do I believe in her?
Yeah, I really do
I don't make junk
And I don't stop believing
Sure she can choose to
Give Me up

I'm not an addiction
I'm not a hobby
I'm an Artist

Proud of my Work
And prouder of It's work
I read the poem
I saw the image
I'm patient
I'll wait
No force
No, choice

But I'll not stop believing
TotLeigh17-Nov-2010 19:30
Hmm, this left me so speechless that I had no choice but to sign up for a trial subscription just to tell you so. I haven't got any sage words or deep truths to leave with you.
I wonder what God's poem to you would look like?

Do I believe in her?
Yeah, I really do
I don't make junk
And I don't stop believing in it

Sure she can choose
She can give Me up

I'm not an addiction
I'm not a hobby
I'm an Artist

Proud of my Work
And prouder of It's work
I read the poem
I saw the image
I'm patient
I'll wait
No force
No, choice

But I'll not stop believing
TotLeigh17-Nov-2010 19:30
Hmm, this left me so speechless that I had no choice but to sign up for a trial subscription just to tell you so. I haven't got any sage words or deep truths to leave with you.
I wonder what God's poem to you would look like?

Do I believe in her?
Yeah, I really do
I don't make junk
And I don't stop believing in it

Sure she can choose
She can give Me up

I'm not an addiction
I'm not a hobby
I'm an Artist

Proud of my Work
And prouder of It's work
I read the poem
I saw the image
I'm patient
I'll wait
No force
No, choice

But I'll not stop believing
Guest 02-Oct-2007 03:55
I hear you, I understand you. Very smart composition.
Guest 10-Jun-2007 19:59
Great gallery. Just shows how powerful words AND photography are together. For all you believers and non-believers read 'The God Delusion' by Richard Dawkins, an excellent book about why he thinks God/Gods do not exist.
Michelle Rhea11-Dec-2006 17:19
Dear Anonymous "believer", I never claim absolutely that god does not exist. I simply have no belief in a god. I would be dishonest if I said I believe there is a god. That is not the same thing as claiming to know there is no god. The word "atheist" is from the Greek words "a" and "theos" meaning, literally, "without gods". I am without a belief in a god, therefore I am an atheist. You say god has revealed himself? I assume you mean to some people a couple of thousand years ago? When he or she reveals himself or herself (or themselves!) to me, then I will believe. Or I'll fear that I've lost my mind and am hallucinating.
a believer 10-Dec-2006 23:47
if we look at creation we can see intelligence - that is the proof for me. to say that there is no God is making an absolute statement. how can you prove it? is there even a 1 per cent possibility that God exists? if, hypothetically, you can agree God exists, then you have the task of finding out who this God is. what if I told you that He has already revealed himself? in nature we can see that God is intelligent and in our conscience we can know that He is just. what if it turns out that God really does exist? Where would you be?
Sean De Quint 12-Apr-2006 01:51
Hey Michelle. Just wanted to let you know this picture is awesome. It sturs a lot inside me. I take it from the red text in the pic that- its bible snippets.
Im Sean, I go to school for bible..I will be going into Bible education.
often times I get to a point in studying where everything starts looking like this picture here. I really admire what you wrote aswel. There are not many atheists that can say all that about themselves and it be true. I usually meet the in-your-face/in-your-god'sface types. So this makes you really stand out. The world would be a better place if there wasn't any forcefeeding of beliefs, jabbing convincements of truths, bullhornings on religion.

wasted time

We all have families. friends. why don't we just love on others with the time we are alive. I love your Miscellany section. keep doing what your doing.
Guest 08-Apr-2006 20:36
great depiction of faith... i admire the ones strong enough to admit what they believe and dont believe... all i know is that i dont have enough time to figure things out... so might as well spend time with my wife and son and some good food and a camera... thanks for the experience... i'll be back to browse your galleries.. dont ever close your eyes to an open mind..ciao.
Tech Brew Guy 06-Dec-2005 06:10
Tech Brew Guy offers this......

Agnostic

DEFINITION
ag·nos·tic (ăg-nŏs'tĭk)
n.
1. One who believes that it is impossible to know whether there is a God. (This is the one I prefer. It's less wishy-washy)
2. One who is skeptical about the existence of God but does not profess true atheism.
One who is doubtful or noncommittal about something.
WORD HISTORY. An agnostic does not deny the existence of God and heaven but holds that one cannot know for certain whether or not they exist. The term agnostic was fittingly coined by the 19th-century British scientist Thomas H. Huxley, who believed that only material phenomena were objects of exact knowledge. He made up the word from the prefix a–, meaning “without, not,” as in amoral, and the noun Gnostic. Gnostic is related to the Greek word gnōsis, “knowledge,” which was used by early Christian writers to mean “higher, esoteric knowledge of spiritual things”; hence, Gnostic referred to those with such knowledge. In coining the term agnostic, Huxley was considering as “Gnostics” a group of his fellow intellectuals—“ists,” as he called them—who had eagerly embraced various doctrines or theories that explained the world to their satisfaction. Because he was a “man without a rag of a label to cover himself with,” Huxley coined the term agnostic for himself, its first published use being in 1870.

Just thought I'd participate.
Nighty night.
jack 04-Dec-2005 23:00
the middle ground is someone who doesn't "know"
or thinks that we "can" know whether god exists or not.

this is what an agnostic is
and seems to me to be your position.
Michelle Rhea04-Dec-2005 22:45
Hi Jack,

Not in my definition and understanding of the words, no. I do not see a middle ground
between belief and nonbelief, which is what many try to use the word "agnostic" to
define. One either believes in a god or gods or one does not.
jack 04-Dec-2005 22:44
then maybe you should use the word, "agnostic".
this descibes you better.

Michelle Rhea04-Dec-2005 22:16
Thank you, Jack, for your comment. However, you have read much into the word "atheist". Nowhere have I claimed to know there is no god. I simply cannot honestly say I believe in a god.
jack 04-Dec-2005 22:05
"belief" in no god is a very strong "belief" indeed!

very diffcult to demonstrate.

you have much faith!


Michelle Rhea14-Nov-2005 16:47
Hi Chris,

Thank you for your comments.

Regarding "why atheists make such a point to be heard about their dis-belief": I cannot speak for all atheists, but I know that if I was not bombarded on a daily basis with religious belief I would not feel any need to mention my own nonbelief. If our government was not promoting belief over nonbelief with every presidential address, every pledge to our flag, every push to fund "faith based" programs, etc., I would feel no need to speak up for nonbelief. If my son could join the boyscouts without having to proclaim a belief in a God, I would be less vocal. If my son's public elementary school did not have religious songs and songs with religious references in EVERY school "sing" I would be less audible myself. If my son's public school did not teach the children in science class that "there are some people who believe the earth was created in 6 days just a few thousand years ago and we have to respect those beliefs", I'd have less to say. If there was not such a huge push right now to get "Intelligent Design" (translate: "religious belief") taught in science classes, I'd argue less. If a former president (Bush, Sr.) had not said that he did not think atheists should be considered U.S. citizens, I would not need to protest. If I did not hear or read, often, that it takes a belief in God (usually the Christian God) to be "moral", I would not feel compelled to point out that one can indeed be moral without a belief in ANY God. When I read that the vast majority of Americans would not vote for an atheist for political office just because he or she is an atheist, I have to protest this bigotry. If I did not come across all the negative stereotypes about nonbelievers as often as I do, I would not call attention to my own lack of belief.

Regarding "to be blatantly controversial for the sake of attention", I have to ask, what is wrong with being controversial or with seeking attention? Controversy can create dialogue and attention is certainly preferable to letting issues remain in the dark, unaddressed, unnoticed, unchanged.

Regarding 'Ghandi said it best himself: "It amazes me to find an intelligent person who fights against something which he does not at all believe exists."' While atheists don't believe a God exists, we most certainly know that the _belief_ exists, and thus we have much to say. Believers would rather we be silent. It's not going to happen. I wish atheists would speak out more than we do.

You say, "I can't help but point out for me it made you seem bitter towards something you claim is false."

Then my poem did not do its job. Alas.
Chris14-Nov-2005 07:43
There's a quote by Michel de Montaigne which says, "Oh these foolish men! They could not create so much as a worm, but they create gods by the dozens."

I myself am guilty of equal foolishness when I thought I could destroy gods by not believing. Collectively, the best minds in science are still struggling to unlock the secrets of the universe beyond our own galaxy, but I thought I knew a definitive position about the existance of a Creator.

Maybe my sister is right, God doesn't exist... the world spins on these cosmic powers which dwell in rocks and trees and everything around us. Or maybe Islam has it right, with virgins waiting for those who follow Allah's word. Perhaps, the whole world is wrong and somehow I've figured it out just by thinking about it. Or, maybe the bible is right.

Is the God I now pray to the "right" one? Faith cannot exist in the presence of fact; proof either way would be nice, but in that void our own existance cannot be ignored. The First Law of Thermodynamics (matter or its energy equivalent can neither be created nor destroyed) prohibits even the possibility of our existance. We're a miracle!... poof, we just appeared. To say matter has always existed violates the second law of thermodynamics governing the laws of entropy. For me, the possibility of an outside force creating what lies beyond our windows and telescopes remains slightly more probable than a supernatural event like creation with no Creator. Therefore, I believe. I like what Joel Osteen (TV evangelist) said, "Don't confuse God with religion."

I've never understood why atheists make such a point to be heard about their dis-belief tho. When I saw the shredded pages on this pic, I assumed they were a bible because that would compliment the title. I couldn't think of any other reason to do something like that other than to be blatantly controversial for the sake of attention. I can't help but point out for me it made you seem bitter towards something you claim is false. Ghandi said it best himself: "It amazes me to find an intelligent person who fights against something which he does not at all believe exists."

Initially, I came to visit your galleries because you made comments on a couple of my pics. I was quite taken by your poetry gallery as you can probably tell, even tho we don't agree theologically. The pics are wonderful, and reading your poetry was an equal treat. Voted.
-Chris


Guest 06-Nov-2005 04:02
I like what you said in the last part. An interesting point of view indeed.
Guest 01-Nov-2005 17:18
One thing I'm sure of; there are no dead atheist.
I'll be praying for you.
Guest 29-Oct-2005 04:42
Very clever. You can even see the red text of the bible
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