Adam Ryoti

UWRT 1101
Connie Douglas
No Strings Attached
My belief is one that has made a complete transformation across the spectrum, my
thought process made a 180 degree flip. As a child growing up, I was always in church. I even
attended pre-school and kindergarten there. Thinking back going to school there wasn't so bad,
but it was way different from public school. Like everyone who went to church with their family,
I began to develop traditional Christian views and beliefs. When my parents split, my mom was
all about the church, God, and the Bible. Many stories of miracles and conversations held with
God were always fascinating. Like anyone I wanted to have the same feelings and encounters
from the stories, so I could one day do for my children as my parents did for me. As I said when
my parents split my mom turned strongly toward the church and it seemed to help her stay strong
and optimistic for a brighter future. At my young age, seeing a stressed parent was scary because
they are supposed to be your rock in a figurative sense.
In the Ted talk where Amy Tan was speaking, I learned that everyone needs someone or
something that can bring them to peace (Tan). They were the most powerful and strong people
that I knew, so if she needed help, and found it in the church then it must be something
spectacular. Growing up, I was involved with the church because I lived with my mom on
weekends and we always went to sermons and often found ourselves at gatherings. I served in
the ministry, went to camps, even went on mission trips. Obviously community service and
helping others feels good, but it never gave me any extreme uplifting feeling. I started to

question all of the things I blindly believed. I was told by my mother that "You just have to
believe, no one knows the real answer." I almost laughed when that was the response I was
given. As I asked questions I could feel myself slowly withdrawing from church. Leaving the
church wasn't me going down a dark road; it was more of me beginning to be open-minded, and
beginning to think for myself. Before I could say my belief I had to give a back story which
turned into what I feel like was a rant. I don't know if I would call it a belief as much as I would
call it a lack of belief. I do not believe in any higher, holy power. I do not believe in heaven or
hell, limbo, or purgatory. I don't believe in any of those places, but what I do believe is that there
is a difference between right and wrong. I don't believe that gathering with a group of people
once a week, reading a book, and giving your group a name will help you decipher the difference
between good and bad. I do believe that you can be a good person without religion. I'm not sure
what I would call myself as far as labels go, but for the sake of argument I will call myself an
atheist.
I believe that you can be a good person without religion because I like to think of myself
as a perfect example. Without gloating, I am a good person. I help others in need, I abide by the
laws of the government, most of the time, and I don't really do anything bad. I will agree that
"not being bad" isn't "being good," but I know Christians that are much worse to others than I
could ever imagine being. I think that is why I hold on to my lack of belief so tightly. In my few
days I have seen many terrible Christians, but wonderful atheists. I understand that not all
Christians are as bad as the ones I've seen, but what God would let people like those represent
him so incorrectly. I used to look up to my mom and when I started leaving the church, she
began to treat me differently. I could tell that her temper was quicker with me and she wasn't as
soft towards me. During middle school, we were constantly arguing and she had thrown me out

of the house multiple times for not complying with her. Most of her friends and other adults in
the church told me that I was being a rebellious child, and told me I was bad for doing that to
her. As always there were two sides to the story, and as you could imagine mine was the opposite
of her story. We eventually had a final falling out and at that point I knew that no god worth
worshipping would let something so cruel happen to one of his own creations. From then on I did
not believe in god. It was as much of an abrupt change as it was a realization. One that I'm glad I
finally saw. I go about my day just as any Christian would. The reason I say it that way is
because a typical Christian would believe that anyone that does not believe in god will go
straight to hell for sinning. I realize that not all Christians think the exact same way as others, but
it is safe to say that the majority believes that to be the case. The thing that bothers me is that
Christians commit sins written about in the Bible on a daily basis, but they are forgiven unlike
Atheists. I like to think of myself as a strong independent person. I dont rely on any higher
power, and I know that if I dont try to change things in my life that it is highly unlikely that
they will change on their own. Recently I was involved with a girl and her parents loved me until
they found out I was Atheist. Once this came to the surface, they refused to let her see me. They
claimed that I would take her down a dark road filled with sin and deceit. In my mind the best
part about being Atheist is that I dont care about others opinions. I respect them because I know
what it feels like to be looked down upon for your views and beliefs or lack of them. I would
never want to tear someone down because of the way they think and I was severely hurt by them
doing this to me. How can someone belittle one of gods creations and claim to walk with him
simultaneously? It is sad to say that my mother and the parents of a previous girlfriend have only
solidified the way I feel about Christianity.

I do not feel as if my lack of religion has changed my day to day life in any other way
outside of being able to sleep in a little longer on Sunday mornings. My life isnt dull. I actually
really enjoy it. I dont feel as if I have to please others. I serve myself, not in a self-centered way,
but more of doing what makes me happy. Since this transformation I feel more relieved than
anything. I no longer feel pressure to be perfect. Being perfect is an unrealistic goal. I think part
of what I am is accepting the fact that I am indeed human and it is human nature to make errors.
In most situations I view myself as the realist. I look at all the possible options and then weigh
the pros and cons of the outcomes. I think that in order for anyone to become an Atheist that they
mustve at one point been affiliated with some sort of religion. Christians often question why I
think the way I do and I am more than willing to tell them why, but occasionally I will get one
person that tries to cut me down with their words. Perfect examples are the preachers that come
and speak at the Belk Tower. Most Christians are quick to think that an atheist doesnt know the
Bible. Typically it is quite the contrary. Based on the atheists that I have met, we are generally
very argumentative because we try to get our point across. That would mean that atheism
describes me perfectly because I am already very hard headed and very rarely let anyone sway
my personal opinions. This is why I think that I will hold the same lack of belief for the majority
of my life. My views changed once and they very well could change again, but I believe that my
thought process is clearer now more than ever. I dont have a book telling me how to live my
life. I write my own book. In The Book of Eli he was the only one that could read his brail
Bible (Hughes). I feel that my book is filled with my experiences and decisions, and I am the
only one that can really read or tell my story. As similar as all of us are, we are all diametrically
different. I dont think that everything happens for a reason, but certain decisions can affect you
differently in the long run. Many people will sympathize, and Im certain that there are many

people that feel the way I do, but no one will ever be able to feel the exact way that I do because
my life is my book. There will never be another story exactly like mine. Like Randy Pausch said,
We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand. No two people have the
same hand, and no two people will make the same moves in the same order (Pausch). This quote
just makes my point about individuality even more concrete. Pausch also says, There's a lot of
talk these days about giving children self-esteem. It's not something you can give; it's something
they have to build.(Pausch) When I first started to question religion I was quiet and unsure of
what was going to happen next. Much like self-esteem, confidence is not something that can be
given, it must be built. Building confidence for something that is frowned upon by modern
society is not a simple task. Many disagree and are willing to fight tooth and nail against you.
People that do that are brick walls, and they arent there to stop you, but to inadvertently help
show you how much you want to prove yourself, oddly enough another Randy Pausch quote.
After writing and reading this paper it seems like I made Christians the target which was not my
intention. The reason it came off that way is most likely because Im very defensive of my own
views and beliefs, and most often it is Christians who try to tell me I am wrong simply because
what I am is everything they hate. I have come to peace with the fact that in pleasing all you will
please none, so rather than stress myself to make everyone happy I should surround myself with
those who love and support me equally. I should work to make them happy and that is when I
will be happy. Making those I care about happy gives me a better feeling than any god ever
could, and that is why I believe that it is absolutely possible to be a spectacular person without
any religious ties.

Works Cited
Tan, Amy. Where Does Creativity Hide? Amy Tan:. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Sept. 2014.
The Book of Eli. Dir. Albert Hughes and Allen Hughes. Prod. Joel Silver and Denze
Washington. By Gary Whitta. Perf Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, and Mila Kunis.
Warner Bros., 2010. DVD
Pausch, Randy, and Jeffery Zaslow. The Last Lecture. 2007. Print.