I don't understand why religion is so important. In my personal opinion I think that religion is a poison that is slowly but surely crippling this country and the whole world for that matter. I think that I was born without the piece of the human puzzle that makes me blindly believe something based on zero evidence and no proof whatsoever. Just because I don't understand something doesn't mean that I am going to chalk it up to some invisible man in the sky that grants wishes. If there is a god, why would he condemn me to burn in Hell for all of eternity for not believing in him despite a complete lack of evidence? Why did he give me this rational questioning mind if I was going to be punished for exercising it?
             Faith is a weakness. Faith is the excuse we give ourselves to believe something when there is no good reason to. Atheists don't claim to know where matter comes from or if there is a meaning to life. Maybe one day we'll know, or maybe we won't. Theists don't know either but the difference is, they make up an explanation. They have no real reason to suppose it's true. In his book, God is Not Great, How Religion Poisons Everything, Christopher Hitchens writes "Our belief is not a belief. Our principles are not a faith. We do not rely solely upon science and reason, because these are necessary rather than sufficient factors, but we distrust anything that contradicts science or outrages reason." I firmly believe that faith actively stands in the way of looking for evidence and seeking further knowledge. Instead of faith, let's use reasonable expectation based on observation, and we'll hope for the things we can't control.
             Christianity teaches that if you do not "accept Jesus Christ into your heart" you will burn for eternity in a fiery hell. Whether you are a good person or equally devout in another faith has no bearing. My argument is this: The religion that one acce...