LOL what God??

So the average atheist has been scientifically proven to be smarter than the average religious fanatic (in terms of measuring IQ).

Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you to the post that will probably spark anger or frustration from ignorant people.

Do I believe in God?
I choose not to really question it. Maybe there is a higher power up there. Maybe it's just a simple scientific equation that makes "miracles" and stuff. Whatevz. Either way, chances are, me believing in it or not will not change it.
Why do I say this? I believe in science and in facts.
Don't get me wrong.
I think it's amazing and very interesting that different religions constructed beliefs and frameworks to explain life and to ensure a better way of living, etc.
However, religion is something that improves your life, adds something to your beliefs and values and makes you a better person. That's what I look at when I think of religion.

So, I'm a Hindu in this case. I follow the Tamil denomination.
Do I think it is a fantastic religion? Yes.
Do I think it teaches many different values and lessons that humans should understand? Yes.
Do I believe everything that is written in the scriptures and religious stories? Of course not.
Why? Because they are NOT MEANT to be perceived as fact. They are meant to be exactly what they appear to be. Stories that explain a concept to humans in a simple way that we can relate to.

The thing is, I agree wholeheartedly that the beliefs and way of life are great ways to improve human beings.
In fact, this applies to pretty much all religions.

Christianity is the religion seen most often in the English-speaking world, so I'll use that as an example for this next segment.
Even here, I think the Bible is awesome. I think some of the lessons and guidelines are brilliantly thought-out.
I believe that Christians should be happy to follow that way of life.
However, this all falls apart when people insist that their religion is correct, yours is wrong and that everything in their scriptures is fact.
This is where the problem lies.
Not many religious people say "I believe in this."
They'd rather say "This is how the world is."
(Note that, I say this quite generally and I don't point at Christians for this. It was just an opening example. People in every religion do this.)
I have friends who think "I believe in these values and I live my life knowing how to be a better person."
And then I have friends who think "YOU DON'T GO TO CHURCH/TEMPLE/[other religious house of prayer]?? YOU'RE A HORRIBLE PERSON. Now excuse me while I talk about God and then go get drunk, get pregnant, take drugs and indulge in other ironic activities."

Why force others to believe in what you think if you can't even be consistent with your beliefs?
What might be an even worse question is: Why force yourself to attend religious events, pray for half your day, talk about your religion with everyone, and miss out on living?

Yes, I am an imperfect person. I've made mistakes and I still will. Is this going to change if I go to temple as I'm apparently supposed to?

According to the Bible, a woman was being stoned to death by a crowd after sinning (no weed jokes, please) until Jesus arrived and said something along the lines of "May he who is without sin cast the first stone."
In the story, this obviously caused them to re-think their actions and eventually everyone stopped and let her go.
Yet, it's pretty obvious that half the world would happily condone violence, and even join in, if someone dares to do wrong to them or to insult their beliefs.

I guess, at the end of the day, it's not about which religion you follow or how often you praise it, but rather: what's the point of following it if it makes you ignorant and frustrated about everything else?

^ This point was proven recently when I was told that I was going to hell for swearing. I was then asked why I don't go to church. (Yes, he knew I was not a Christian.) The person in question? Not very well liked by most because of his habit of borrowing money (and not returning it) and the even more frustrating habit of thinking everyone and everything was less important than himself.
Can you call this person a good Christian? I would think not. I know plenty of people that benefit from going to church and are actually amazing people, but the people that become ignorant and annoying are the ones that ruin it for everyone.

Just so we're clear, I'm not saying anything is wrong with religion.
Here are the problems:
-Convincing others that your religion is fact (all religions are based on fiction. Sorry to break it to you.)
-Convincing others that your religion is correct and theirs is incorrect
-Being ignorant. LEARN about other religions before you say something.

If you're happy with the religion you follow, then that's awesome. Follow it, let it help you become a better person. But the bottom line is don't be a dick about it.