In the world we live in, everyone is entitled  to his or her own beliefs. 

This can range anywhere from sexuality to politics. Beliefs are meant to be your own, and who and what you are shape them.

Often, many beliefs are looked down upon and considered wrong. The most common would be homosexuality, which is constantly ridiculed by Christianity. 

Another is atheism.

Many do not understand atheism, and some do not even consider it a religion. It very much is. It is just a religion that doesn’t believe in any god. 

The common stereotype is that atheists believe in and worship Satan. The worst misconception is that atheists have no beliefs or morals. 

For starters, atheists surely do not worship Satan. 

To even say such a thing is to contradict the main belief of no gods or deities. 

And to worship Satan would be consider Satanism not atheism.

People also commonly think that atheists have no religion at all. 

Buddhism is a religion in which there is no God, and it is one of the most practiced religions in the world. So does that mean they are all atheists? 

Hinduism is a religion with many gods and beliefs, and someone may believe in the spiritual ways of Hinduism but not the gods. Does that make them atheists? 

People may even believe in various parts of various religions, but believe in no God. 

This is perfectly okay. All of these religions are okay, because we are all entitled to practice our own religion.

Religion is very personal. It is something you have to find for yourself. 

The religion that your parents or family believe in may not be the one for you. 

It’s okay to try something new to find out.

What isn’t okay is telling someone that their beliefs are wrong because they contradict yours. 

No one knows what happens after life; no one knows if there is truly an afterlife. We cannot even prove if we are truly conscious in this moment, so how can we say something is for sure?

Just last week, people were on campus deeming everyone, even Christians, to hell because we all live in sin. 

Well, yes everyone does wrong, but is it really acceptable to say that?  No, it is not on any standard.

People are constantly using scare tactics, such as hell, to try to drive others into their beliefs, and sometimes it works. 

It shouldn’t be that way. 

If some one chooses to believe there is no God, then let them. 

Forcing your religion on someone will not make him or her a believer; it will make them a follower. People need to be able to freely choose without being hated for their decision.

Even in an imperfect world, it is possible for every one of every religion to live in peace. This is not some science fiction fantasy. This is the 21st century, the age when everything is changing.

Whether a person decides to be Christian, atheist, Buddhist, or anything else, they should be able to decide without having other people of other religions saying they are wrong. 

What is wrong for you may be right for someone else. 

And although you have a relationship with God, that does not mean that someone else’s experiences are the same. Nothing works perfect for every one, on any scale. 

If we could all just open our minds to see that religion does not define character, so many doors would begin to open.