I was raised in the church. My father was very involved, my grandfather was a bishop. After years of reciting "I believe in...." I had the courage to say no, I don't believe in that.
I believe there is more to our existence than our physical bodies and that there are great unknowns in the spiritual realm. But I also believe that all religion is man made, supported by legend and myth passed down through the generations. I don't believe in an all-knowing, all-powerful supreme being. I don't believe in a god that answers our prayers or allows bad things to happen because 'it's his will' or 'he works in mysterious ways'.
I am not one to say religion is the root of all evil. Religion has helped many achieve great peace and great achievements. As any human institution it can also aid, abet and foster evil, which is much more a comment on human nature than on religion.
So I guess this makes me an atheist, but still spiritual. It seems many describe themselves this way.
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