Hello, you can call me Artanis. It is the name I use to protect my real name against the attack of the religious zealots that vastly populate this world.

Seven years ago I used to be a Christian. I went to church every Thursday and Sunday; I prayed, sang, and even got baptized. One day, however, it came to my attention that I was never getting anything out of all this - all my prayers were un-answered, all the songs I sang were never listened to, apart from the guy next to me, and getting baptized was just a pointless activity in which this priest drew a cross on my forehead with "holy" water and said that I was loved by Jesus.

It was after that occasion when my mind began working. For the first time in my life, I began questioning why I was doing all these things. To this day, I still do not know the reason why I began thinking for myself, but I'm glad it happened. During this time, I researched many religions and sciences, studied each and every explanation of life. At this time, you could probably say that I was an agnostic. I read the bible, I read the Qu'ran, and I watched many scientific documentaries.

The more and more I researched, I found that my religion made no sense at all. I called about twenty local priests and asked them questions like: Who made god? Who wrote the bible? Why does god allow violence? Why did god create humans? If god is so powerful why doesn't he just kill Lucifer? Would Adam and Eve have to have sex with their own children and other relatives in order to create the human race? Isn't it possible Mary (Jesus's mother) was just a slut who liked sex and when people asked who the father was, she said it was god's, in order to cover her tracks?

None of these questions could be answered. Not only that, I was called a blasphemer and infidel for simply asking them. Still, being an agnostic, I was confused as to what to believe. There was either common sense and logic or there was god.

The day I rose above being an agnostic was one of the best days of my life. I felt total freedom. No longer did I feel that some almighty being was watching everything I do and everything I say and think. I could now continue with my life without being ruled by fear that I would "sin" against this non-existent creature. I can now proudly say that I am an Atheist, a freethinker, and a true human being. And I have devoted my life to helping others see the truth as I have.

Although I do see zealots (mentally corrupted humans) as enemies of the free peoples of the human race, I also realize that one of the ways religion has survived the centuries is that they have always had an enemy. The enemy acts as a centre point, at which the entirety of the religious followers can aim their hatred. Without this hatred, the religion becomes useless and without purpose and becomes dysfunctional. It is rare that this happens, but on the occasion that it does, the world is changed drastically. The fall of Fundamentalism, and the Flat Earth Society changed the world greatly. People learned that they were living on a sphere-shaped planet and that they were not the ultimate being in the universe.

Unfortunately, Christianity, Islam, and many other religions claim that they are the ultimate creation of the universe. This ignorance will one day result in the deaths of millions, as one religion declares war on another religion. It is up to people like us to stop the oncoming carnage that will ultimately follow every religious believer.

Remember, fellow Atheists, religion will never be defeated with open challenges and combat. It must be destroyed subtly and in the shadows. Causing fights and arguments with zealots will only give them an excuse to recruit more allies in their struggle to corrupt and stupefy humanity.

A wise Atheist once posted this on a freethinker's site:

Religion has basically two strikes against it - it isn't true and, instead of making people more tolerant, compassionate and humane, it seems to have precisely the opposite effect. Look at the situation in the Middle East or the recent attack on America. Atheists, agnostics and even Deists don't ram airliners into buildings or murder each other because they have a different opinion about God, who, in all probability doesn't even exist. Most people's religion is a matter of chance, not choice - children believe whatever nonsense they're taught by adults and rarely question its validity. Thus, if they are taught that they can inherit eternal bliss in heaven by blowing up as many members of another, opposing religion or country as possible they will proceed to do just that. Almost all moral, scientific and intellectual progress in the world has come about not because of organised religion, but in spite of it. The Catholic Church's history in this regard is quite abysmal.

I believe that people can get through life without religion, just as they can get through life without alcohol or drugs. Religion is a metaphysical crutch, and it's high time the human race learnt to walk without it.

Continue the fight, fellow freethinkers. One day our intelligence will be recognized. Just like "Joan of Arc" we will be recognized if we make our stand now!