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Let Us Decide if We Want to Believe in God Ourselves

Children at the Islamic school Raudhatul Athfal Istiqlal in Jakarta learn about fasting and prayer during a Ramadan class. (JG Photo/Safir Makki)

Believing in God is not a matter of obligation, it is actually a matter of need. For religious people, God is a substance who gives them strength in order to survive every test in life. No one in this world is happy all the time. Everyone has his or her own problems to cope with, and some problems are small and some are big. It is then when they feel the need of God's presence. 

To some of them, God is their best friend whom they trust 100 percent, the only friend who never betrays nor leaves them in both good and bad times. It is God they turn to when they feel sad and do not know where to run and seek refuge or help. It is God they turn to when they get stuck and do not know what to do, whom they trust when they want solace. They trust only God 100 percent because to them everyone has the potential to be dishonest and not faithful.

To me personally, besides being a matter of need, believing in God is a matter of heart. We can not force anyone to believe in God by embracing a certain religion because it will only create more and more hypocrites. I would rather leave them alone and give them freedom to express their beliefs. Let everyone make up their own minds because God gave everyone a brain to think and reason - as long as they do not disturb and tell us to believe what they believe. 

When I was a child, my father told us a story about an elementary school teacher telling his students to close their eyes and say a prayer to God asking for candies. After that, the teacher asked them if God gave them some candies or not. They said no. And then he asked again, "So, does God exist or not?" They answered no. 

It is an example of some reasons why some people do not believe in God. They want real and instant evidence about the existence of God, so to them God is a myth. 

There are scientists who are atheists, agnostics, and theists. For atheist and agnostic scientists, any discovery they make about the universe might not change their views on God. But for theist scientists, the more discoveries they make, the more they realize the greatness of God, so they do not know if God is really a myth who contradicts science. 

For me, letting everyone announce his or her beliefs will not do any harm and will not change the view of religious people about their religion and God, but if they do change their minds it is their right. At least, we can differentiate between believers and non-believers.

If being an atheist is banned, we in fact cheat ourselves, because we will not be able to see if someone is a true believer or not. I believe a country should not interfere with their people's beliefs and let them believe what they want.

"A God who keeps tinkering with the universe is absurd; a God who interferes with human freedom and creativity is a tyrant. An omnipotent, all knowing tyrant is not so different from earthly dictators who make everything and everybody mere cogs in the machine they control. An atheist that rejects such a God is amply justified." (Karen Amstrong)

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