by Jesse Mathewson

Created on: June 19, 2008   Last Updated: June 20, 2008

Thomas Paine wrote a treatise that changed the world; he called it the age of reason. He prefaced it with his statement of faith. In observance of his genius, I am going to write my own statement of faith as well, it will follow.

It has been my intention to publish my views and beliefs with regards to religion for the last several years. However this is something that cannot be taken lightly and must be approached with the greatest of concern. I am much older now than I was when I first realized that I needed to change how I approached life.

We have seen in the recent past that certain things have changed with regards to church formation, now we have Methodist priests that can marry and even be homosexual. We have seen several countries that were founded on Christian principles drop those principles and adopt freedoms that were never allowed previously. However we have people assuming that morality is somehow based completely on a religious system or principles. This is not so, and does not need be.

No one person I know can put into words what it is they truly believe, in fact most swing back and forth from one belief and truth to another based on the current situation. While this is not true for all, it is indeed true for most.

I believe in no god, no mythology can cause me to believe anything that cannot be shown to be true. I do not care about what happens when I die, and in all reality all that will happen is I will merely become ashes and it will be over. Even if there is something afterwards, accordingly hell is being away from god- as it stands I am in hell now and it isn't bad.

I believe in the true equality of humankind, I feel that all humans are equal even though some people are not deserving of that recognition. I feel that my "moral" obligations began and end with treating others as I would want to be treated no more or less.

As time goes on I will clarify the above points so that nothing is left to the individual interpretation of the reader. My writing is not meant to be interpreted it is meant to be read.

"All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish (Islamic), appear to me no other than human inventions set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit." On this point I agree wholeheartedly with Thomas Paine.
Now again nothing I say here should deter each individual from their own beliefs. I truly feel that everyone is entitled to believe what they will as long as those beliefs do not subject any other free willed HUMAN to the confines of that thought and disallow any other thought. Simply put as long as your beliefs do not force others into that I feel everyman is entitled to their own belief. "Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving; it consists in professing to believe what he does not believe." Thomas Paine has my vote here as well!
Nothing is worse for mankind than a religion being used to control and or profit from the losses of other humans.
These are my beliefs. And yes I will be posting more to make it easier to understand soon!

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