I’ve been reading a lot of back and forth between atheists and theists regarding the Atheist Bus Campaign, and I feel like the major idea behind the campaign is being lost. This isn’t about being anti-religion or pro anything, it’s about letting people know it’s ok to not have a belief in god, that you’re not evil or immoral if you don’t have a dogma.

Most people are afraid of being left out or disowned by their families and friends if they don’t at least say “I’m christian” or “I believe in Jesus”. People don’t really feel a connection but they say they do because they’re afraid, and eventually it turns into just another bad habit that they pass along to their children. You don’t need to believe in anything to feel alright with the world, or to be moral, god doesn’t make decisions for you and that’s ok.

It’s not as simple as saying “we’re in this group and you’re in that group and that group is wrong and stupid and crazy” because “our” group doesn’t exist, it’s JUST the religious group and then everyone else. We should come together in our varied beliefs/dis-beliefs/anti-beliefs and at the very least let everyone know there’s nothing wrong with being ok with no belief.

The idea that we need religion is a deeply flawed one, one could argue that religion is nothing more than attempt at controlling populations through fear and a way to start wars. We don’t have to believe the same thing, we don’t have to see eye to eye, but at the very least we should agree that being ok with not knowing isn’t bad. We should celebrate the fact that we are willing to do good just to do good, it’s up to everyone as moral people to decide to be good and religion has no place in your decision making process. Ultimately you are the decision maker and if you can’t make the right choice without a deity you need to look deep at what you want out of life and how you want to affect those around you.

Most importantly we should at least all agree that belief in anything other than rational provable facts and information should not affect the way we are governed, taught and treated.