I’ve written Plain Old Atheist primarily for believers, doubters, and those just dipping their toes into the waters of religious skepticism. The subjects I write about are largely based on conversations with, and questions from, believing friends and acquaintances.

What’s atheism all about? What’s it like to live without religion? How do you know right from wrong? How can you possibly NOT believe in God?

I’m not looking to trash religion, but I also feel strongly that religious ideas should not be exempt from examination and, yes, even criticism. One of the things I admire about the scientific method is this basic ethos: You come up with an idea, then you jump up and down on it as hard as you can. If it doesn’t break, well, maybe it’s correct… but you still view it with a skeptical eye.

All viewpoints that shape our lives—including religion, and perhaps especially religion—should be subject to that same scrutiny.

I’m not looking to shock or alienate anyone (and thank you to my believing friends for helping me find that line). That said, I think it would be patronizing and dishonest to give you a watered-down version of atheism. I’m the real blasphemous deal, my friends: I believe that God (like all gods) is a creation of humans, and not the other way around; that the Bible, the Koran, and most religious texts are largely works of fiction; and that there is no supernatural element to our universe. We have one life in this natural world, and that’s it, baby! (Invigorating, isn’t it?)

That said, I remember how uncomfortable a concept this can be. I believed in God for the majority of my life, and for the first couple of years after I realized I was an atheist, I had a lot of trouble forming the words (or even the thought) “There is no God.” It felt alien. It felt wrong. (It doesn’t feel that way to me any more.)

If this site accomplishes only one thing, let it be this: I want people of faith to know that it’s okay to question and to doubt. Any good religious leader will tell you that doubt is an inherent part of faith. You’re not going to get struck by lightning because you strongly considered the idea that God is made up. Your fortunes will not change overnight because you allowed yourself to doubt. Your thoughts are your own, and nothing bad will happen because you thought about disbelief.

Think about it this way: If I’m wrong about God and He does exist, that means He gave you an intellect and the ability to think and reason. Why would He give you those powers if He didn’t want you to use them?

Doubting isn’t going to make your belief suddenly disappear. It’ll always be there. I still see mine from time to time, walking down my street or perusing the veggies at my local supermarket and reminding me that if I ever need it again, it won’t be far away. (I won’t ever need it again, but I still regard it as an old friend; we came a long way together.) If you are concerned about entertaining doubts because you don’t think you can live without belief, I can promise you that it’ll be right there where you left it.

Since I came to the realization that I was an atheist, I’ve strived to learn more about religion and the nature of belief. (My college debate classes taught me that the only way to understand any issue is to know both sides of it equally well.) I owe a great debt to my religious friends who shared their wisdom and thoughts with me. Learning more about belief has strengthened me as a non-believer.

Now I want to return the favor and teach others about non-belief. If learning more about non-belief makes you a stronger believer, then I am truly glad. If it helps to open up a path out of faith that you are seeking, then I am glad for that too.

And if you think you may be an atheist but just can’t make the leap, I’m here to say: Come on in, the water’s fine!

If you have questions, comments, ideas for the site, or if you just want to talk, you can reach me here:

Thanks for reading!

Aaron