I Believe in Not Believing by Amber Schmersal

I've been asked about what I believe in more times than I would like to admit. People wonder what religion I am, who I vote for, even what gender I find attractive. These are such common questions that they are some of the first things people ask when meeting. They are also one of the first things people will judge you on. No one is ever judged purely on personality the first time they meet someone. There are always other factors that contribute to how people think of you. Some of these factors are your birth given right to have.

I was born to a Lutheran family, though I don't believe in God, nor any other deity. I'm an Atheist. I have friends who are Catholic, Agnostic, Lutheran, and a few who have even made up their own beliefs. I've talked to all my friends about their beliefs and none of them have been able to give me good enough proof that any certain deity created this existence. Most of my friends can have a serious conversation with me about religion without resorting to low blows or inconsequential facts. There was one person I met once who would not listen to reason or even respect my decision. He continued to badger me, saying I wasn't truly Atheist unless I had looked at all of the religions and found I didn't believe in any of them. Needless to say, this did not go over well with me. I calmly asked if he had went all over the world to learn said beliefs before he chose his current religion. He, of course, said no. I turned and left him. If he would not listen me nor his own advice, it was not worth arguing with him.

Religion is lifelong. Politics appear about every four years and they have more heated debates with sprinklings of lies and exaggerations. I have many friends who are democratic and many who are republican. I had two friends fighting with each other over which candidate was better suited for the job. I have never seen two people with such similar views obsess about what party their elects were running for instead of the actual candidates beliefs. I may not know what liberal or conservative mean in political terms, but I do know what I want from my president. I would vote for someone I thought was ready for the job, who could handle it, who would take my views into account, think over their decisions, and stick by those same choices when they are called to question. For some reason, some of my friends can't understand this. They insist I pick a side. They are still waiting.

Disagreeing on religion and politics are one thing. The topic of beliefs have cooled down considerably in the last few centuries. One topic that is still heatedly debated is the topic of genders. More specifically, which gender you are compared to the gender you find attractive. I happen to like both genders. It has taken years for my own family to accept that I am still me. I used to hide the fact that I was bisexual from people I'd meet. Then, all too often, after knowing them for a few weeks, I'd tell them I was bi and they would become awkward around me or even down right disgusted with me. Now, if anybody were to ask me, I would proudly say I am bi. I love either men or women, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm still me. I still like to go to movies, I still like to listen to music, and I still want to kiss my sweetheart hello and goodbye without any offensive language from people passing us. This may sound selfish, but I'd like to believe I can love who I want to love.

I'm sure not everyone will be pleased with some topics I've brought up today. They had the choice to read this. They had the choice to stop. After all this time, I've found there is one thing I believe in. I believe I have the choice to believe in whatever I want to believe in, even if that means believing in nothing at all.