Why am I an atheist?
        The first thing I usually get asked when people find out I'm an atheist is, "Why?"
        Asking an atheist why they are an atheist is the same as asking a theist why they are a theist. The decision they have reached is either based on personal experience or familial influences. In most cases, the reason is experience. After a person has believed something for so long without any kind of personal reward, they tend to look at it as a waste of time. This is not to say all atheists are self-centered, many of them have other, more personal reasons such as: unanswered prayer, occurrences which are not understandable (death, illness, etc.), observances (famine, war, death), etc...

What is an "Atheist"?
        An atheist is a person who doesn't believe in the existence of a/the/your god. This does NOT mean an atheist is the same thing as an anti-Christian. Anti-Christians at least acknowledge that god exists, but that he is not the "Supreme Being". Atheists generally believe god never existed and that our existence can be linked to evolution, not creation. A group which is closely related to atheists is agnostics. Agnostics are people who speculate the existence of god(s), and cannot be sure of his/her/its/their "power" (I feel it necessary to note that EVERYONE is an agnostic. There is not a person alive, or dead, that can testify to his/her/its/their existence through personal interaction. Because of this, no one can say they "know" god exists unless they claim to be omniscient, in which case THEY would be the god of which they are talking.).

Evolution vs. Creation...
        Perhaps the best place to start in trying to explain my reasoning is at the beginning, the argument over evolution and creation (I am going to assume that, if you are reading this, you have a basic understanding of the concept of creation. If not, spend some time reading Genesis in almost any bible. It should give you a basic understanding for the ideas and "events" surrounding it. I should also note that I will be referring to the bible in almost all instances. This does not mean I agree with other sacred ideas, I am just trying to use examples with which you are probably familiar.).
        A creationist view holds that "god" created the world in seven "days" (which have been estimated to actually be anywhere from 1 day to 1,000 years by bible scholars) and that he created this universe in a certain order. Their are many problems with this, most of which are trivial, but some are rather important. For instance, if "god" created the "beasts" in their image as separate acts, then how have we, as humans through existence, seen some of these animals "evolve" into other forms to adapt to a harsher environment placed on them? Similarly, why have we seen entire races of "god's" creatures become extinct?
        According to some biblical scholars, the best estimates for the creation of the universe is somewhere around 4004 B.C. This is clearly far too recent compared to those dates which science has given us (~16 billion yrs. B.C.). Of course, some would argue that god is capable of producing any result he pleases because he is everywhere and is in everything and can therefore manipulate things into his desired form. For those people, I'd ask that you remember that the next time you're taking a bath or enjoying a meal.

Problems with religious institutions...
        Although the ideas behind the belief system confuse me, the area of the religious system which confuses me the most is that of it's institutions (churches, synagogues, tabernacles, shrines, etc...). I find it hard to believe that god would want us to spend money on these incredible dedications rather than making sure all his creatures are cared and provided for. Similarly, if he is so great and omniscient, why do we need to spend hours a week telling him this (I realize the institutions also worship the other "deities" in their respective belief systems, but for the most part they center around god and his "son(?)", Jesus, but they all know the "man" and should therefore know this as well. They were also, supposedly, more concerned with the condition of human existence than with their own affairs.).
        I don't think the televangelists (people on TV who ask for your "support" to spread the word of god) have quite gotten the idea that it looks bad when god isn't providing them with the money they need to spread the word of god without anyone else's help. If a religious institution is in danger of collapsing, it should be a sign to its members that maybe it's not quite working out in god's favor.