by Ignacio Gutierrez

Created on: August 04, 2008

"I know in your heart, you're still searching for God because you're always asking about him" my aunt likes to kid me every so often. She still holds a candle that one day I'll see the proverbial light again, though I'm sure her candle doesn't burn as ardently as the one my mother carries just the same. Having grown up Catholic, I must have sat next to both of them in Church for hundreds of Sundays as a kid, so I understand their wanting to save me a spot. Especially now that I'm a full fledged, bona fide, one-way-ticket-to-hell card carrying atheist.

But even so, I still love discussing, and even arguing about religion and our purpose in life, particularly with people whose opinion actually matters to me, such as my aunt. Because if there is one thing I as an atheist will always find curiously fascinating (and a bit maddening quite frankly) about religion, is its effects on society, and most importantly my rights as an individual.

Unfortunately there is no absolute division between church and state, despite the fact that our nation was largely founded upon this principle. And though it's not specifically written into the Constitution, it's not exactly a conspiracy theory that its intention was to ensure no one state religion would be forced upon all the people. And that people's rights to live their lives as they see fit would not be trampled on as they are by certain fundamentalist religious groups today.

For example, the question of abortion and embryonic stem cell research. The fact there are still people who insist gays should not marry. States such as Georgia and Florida that prohibit anal and oral sex even between married heterosexual couples in the privacy of their own home. If these aren't reasons enough to question and investigate religion and its intrusive and adverse effects on people's private lives, then perhaps the fact that so many religious institutions manage to operate tax free while the rest of us are never granted such privileges may put an atheist's curiosity about religion into perspective.

Which is why I feel compelled to challenge religious people who take it upon themselves to determine what my rights should or should not be. Even if they are the majority, why should it be anyone else's business what I do with my life if and as long as I'm not affecting the rights of others? And assuming a god, particularly a Judeo-Christian god by the name of Jehovah and/or Yahweh does exist, isn't it up to him, as opposed to the average mortal, to judge

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