I do not believe in God, because I have no reason to assume there is one (or more). I realize that religion is a very touchy subject, but I’ll try to explain my ideas without offending anyone.

• If there is a God who would want me to believe, I would expect him or her to give me a personal sign of existence. Something along the lines of: “Stijn, I am God, and I exist.” If he or she really is almighty, that should not be a problem. Without such a signal, a good and reasonable God could in no way blame me for not believing if all else I have to guide me is the conviction of other people.

• I strongly reject some of the morals that are associated with Christianity. Even if a God does exist, I would refuse to worship him or her if perfectly normal things like homosexuality, masturbation and contraception are considered sins, because they are not. If there is a God who’s truly good, he or she would not condemn people who don’t share the same values. 

• I believe that humans are animals, except more intelligent. This means that if humans go to a heaven, so do animals. Considering the huge amount of insects that have ever lived on this earth, heaven would be crawling with them, and a hereafter filled with insects is not exactly what I’d call a paradise.

Not believing in God does not mean that I don’t respect people who do. I believe that religion is a personal matter, and if you have reasons to believe in God, I completely understand and respect that. I am me and you are you, and we are both entitled to our own beliefs. The only thing that I will not respect, is people who impose their believes on others.

Live and let live.