The Atheist's Wager
"It is better to live your life as if there are no
Gods, and try to make the world a better place for your
being in it. If there is no God, you have lost nothing
and will be remembered fondly by those you left behind.
If there is a benevolent God, He will judge you on your
merits and not just on whether or not you believed in Him."
Source: http://www.abarnett.demon.co.uk/atheism/wager.html
I did not make this up, although it is exactly how I have felt my entire
autonomous life. I don't intend to believe in any God or gods who would send me to
eternal damnation for being born in
Russia or ancient
Greece or any other non-predominantly-(insert your damning religion here)
culture. And well, if there's some god who wants to send me to
hell for not believing in Him despite being in a predominantly
christian country, I think he should take a look at Himself and His followers and wonder why it's so unconvincing.