I think the most pivotal moment in my life was the day I decided for a fact that I am an atheist. To reveal myself to be an atheist to a family full of Christians–it was nothing short of a miracle that I wasn’t unanimously hated.

My parents pushed Christianity on me from the start. I was always told God is the way. Otherwise, you’re going to Hell.

As vulnerable as little kids can be, I didn’t want to burn every single second for the rest of eternity. So, I believed. It wasn’t until middle school, where I saw kids of all different ethnicities and beliefs, when I started to wonder, “Am I following the right path?”

But, this editorial is not to argue why atheism is right. It’s to show that not all atheists are bad people. It’s to give people some insight into the mindset of an atheist by answering three of the most common questions people have for atheists.

Where is an atheist’s proof that God doesn’t exist? There is no real, solid proof that says God exists or doesn’t exist. The reason for that is that if there was, the belief that there isn’t a god and the belief there is a god or gods wouldn’t exist, based on the proof. All people have is faith. I choose not to put my faith in religion. I think people are afraid of death, and religion helps them cope with the idea of dying. What sounds better? You’re born, you live, you die and you cease to exist? Or, you’re born, you live, you die and if you believe in God and a savior, you live eternally in peace, happiness and joy? I feel that the people who can’t handle the idea of just dying gravitate to religion.

One thing to note is that 21 percent of people in America are either atheist or have no religion. The reason this is important is because I know at least three people who are 100 percent against the atheistic belief and think that atheists have no place in the world. That is absolutely crazy that atheists don’t belong in the world over one disagreement in beliefs.

What do atheists put their faith into? I think this question is what contributes to most of the confusion as far as what atheists are like and what they believe in, but it has the simplest answer.

It varies from atheist to atheist, but my faith lies in typical things: love, hate, the law of attraction and what not. I get hope from seeing people do good things, or even when my mom tells me everything is going to be okay. But really, it can’t get any simpler than this: We are everyday people. We do everyday things. We’re good people. We help people. I’ve helped people with homework. I’ve helped people through tough situations. Atheists can and do try to do good things for people. We simply just don’t believe that when we die, we go to Heaven or Hell and we don’t believe in a supernatural force and/or a cosmic being guiding us.

Do atheists get offended by all the references to God in America? Theists choose to believe, I don’t. That’s it. I respect all religions and I’m okay if some people don’t respect me because as hard as someone can try to prove or disprove God, neither can really be done. Like I said, all people have is faith, and I choose not to put in religion.

At family holidays, when my family all join hands to pray and give thanks, I hold their hands because it means something to them. I don’t close my eyes nor hold my head down, but I do join hands. As far as the pledge of allegiance goes, I simply skip over the “under God” part of the pledge.

At the end of it all, I just want readers of this editorial to know that atheists are just like everyday people, religious or not. We don’t deserve to be thought of as we don’t belong, or disrespected just because we chose a slightly different path than other people.