A simple story...

Consider this situation:

You wake up in a strange town in a foreign country, you don't know how you got there or how to get out and you don't know why you are there, but nevertheless you are there and you are lost.

Out of the crowds of people (all of whom seem oblivious to your presence) a man walks up to you and tells you he knows the way you need to go. He talks passionately about this amazing place, full of beauty and perfection and says that you must follow him to find it. You ask him how he knows about this place, and he tells you he read about it and he knows deep inside of him that its there and this is the way.

So you start to think that this sounds like a good idea, you haven't got a clue where you are going and this guy seems pretty sure and confident about it.

Just as you are about to walk off with this guy, another man comes up to you and urges you to stop for a minute and think. He tells you that he has seen no evidence of this place you are heading, infact as far as he can be sure there is nothing there at all. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a map. He shows you the empty space where you are headed. He then points to the opposite direction and tells you that there is a quaint little guesthouse where you can eat and sleep, next to it there is a train station which will take you to the airport where you can fly back home.

The first man interjects, telling you that you must follow him, for his way is the only true way, and if you turn your back on him you will suffer for eternity. The second man tells you that he does not want you to make the wrong choice and gives you the map, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out several other maps which all show the same thing, he offers them to you along with a compass, a train timetable and a card with the name and number of the guesthouse on it. He asks you not to believe him because he claims to be correct but to study these items and choose for yourself which way you wish to go.

I'll cut this story off here, its fairly straightforward, what would you do next? The first man seems adamant of this perfect place he wants to take you but the second man has given you hard proof, not only of its non-existence but also showing you the way home.

This seems like a no-brainer to me. Yet, all over the world there are millions (if not billions) of people who reject proof and evidence in favour of blind faith in a mythological god. These people, when presented with the facts they need to further and better their own lives, choose to follow the first man no matter how long it takes, blindly obedient and never questioning, happy in the belief that they are heading the right way, the "true" way.

We all get lost sometimes, we all find ourselves wondering why we are here at some point in our lives. Religions offer answers without proof, science offers us evidence to make our own judgments. Our decisions and our lives should be based on facts not folklore. If you choose to follow the second man in this story, then think about your life and ask yourself whether you apply the same logic.

If you do follow a religion, ask yourself why, research the arguments for and against your faith, ask your friends what they think, ask people who don't share your belief, ask as many questions as you can and see what answers you find. Consider the facts and then ask yourself if religion is compatible with them.

In religion, blind faith may be a quality, but in the real world it pays to open your eyes.