Last night, I was sitting in my yard with my pal Philly drinking beer and working on a contract for a big show I want to bring to town. The subject turned to the faithful (though I’m not entirely certain how that happened) and our shared confusion. I understand that children can believe in God, but I am always amazed at grownups who continue to hold true this notion long after their reason and common sense should have shown them the truth of the universe. One of the turns our conversation took us led me to this blog post, and my thoughts on the things that I can do that the faithful cannot.

1. I can take ownership of my mistakes. I screw up. I admit it wholeheartedly. I probably do it on a more regular basis than others, largely because I also put myself out there and take risks a lot more often. I don’t mean jumping off cliffs or similar risk-seeking adventure behaviors, I’m referring to things like doing stand up comedy on a whim, marrying my roommates, and that sort of thing. Those were both extremely happy experiences, but goodness knows I’ve made my share of mistakes.

The devil did not make me do it. I am amazed to hear people in my age group who actually still believe that the mistakes they make are the results of wicked temptation from the Devil, and that God will understand that they are truly sorry and won’t do it again (maybe). When I screw up, I know it was me that screwed up. I was presented with a choice and I chose the wrong direction. It was not the will of God, more often than not it was the lack-of-will of Jim. And instead of shoving it off on the devil or God’s plan or what have you, I have the responsibility to make it right again.

2. I can get through the hard parts in life. Throughout my life, there was only one set of footprints on the sand. When things got hard, I didn’t need to be carried, I just kept on walking and made my way through. People talk about how the horrible aspects of their lives were trials by God (thanks, God!) and how God helped them through these difficulties. Really? How is that logical?

When my life has taken turns for the worse, I did not rely on anyone to help me through it. I believed that I could handle anything I needed to, that these things wouldn’t kill me, and that I would wind up a better person out the other side of the ordeal. I didn’t sit back and wait for God to make it all better, I evaluated the situation and tried to come up with ways to get through it. With these kinds of thoughts in my head, I am already turning the corner on the situation.

3. I can embrace the beauty of the world I live in and see it for what it is. It’s one thing to look at a tree and think that God does neat things, and another entirely to be able to recognize that it is a link in a chain of evolution that has been going for billions of years and has inadvertently created a pure kind of balance that enables the vast array of life on the planet. Or looking at a mountain, I can be impressed by the raw power of plate tectonics. It’s almost a cheap shot to claim that God just created everything, and diminishes the amazing processes that have taken place and continue to shape everything about this planet.

4. I can die. Yeah, you can die, but you’re expecting something out of it. When I die, I’ll be dead and I’ll know in the time leading up to it that I have done all that I can in this life to live it to it’s fullest. There will be no fear of judgement and the unknown. There’s nothing to know. There will be no false euphoria about how great things are going to be in the next life. I will simply be able to look back at my life and smile in the knowledge that I lived it my way.

5. I can be comfortable knowing that I’m not special. God doesn’t have a plan for me. God doesn’t love me and people like me more than others. I’m just as special as everyone else, and that means I’m just not that special.

6. I can have my own morality. I don’t need scripture to tell me what is right and wrong. I rule myself according to my own sense of how I should behave. It’s a highly moral code that I don’t expect others to live up to, but I believe very deeply in being a good person for the good of those around me. My deciding to be a good person is morality. Your deciding not to sin because your great afterlife reward would be jeopardized doesn’t make you a good person, nor is it morality. It’s fear of punishment.

I’m sure there’s much more that I could put here, but it’s a good start.

Jim