I was having an argument with someone on the Internet, and they asked me, as an atheist, what exactly do I believe in? (It is a common misconception that atheists have no beliefs, or no moral beliefs, at all.)

So I made this video.

[youtube ss3ZUKo28lo]

Transcript is below:

Hello, my name is Al. I actively believe that supernatural gods don’t exist.

But there are a lot of other things that I also believe.

I believe a lot of people have misconceptions of atheists.
And I believe that atheism isn’t going to become more accepted if atheists stay quiet about their beliefs.
I believe a lot more people than we think are atheists, but they just quietly describe themselves as “not very religious”.
I believe a lot of people are afraid to say they’re atheists.

I believe I don’t spend enough time reading books like I used to.

I believe mopeds aren’t as cool as motorcycles and they’re barely faster than bicycles.
I believe pancakes are most overpriced thing you can order at a diner, but still the most economical.

I believe that finding out that Santa Claus wasn’t real wasn’t that big of a deal for me and my friends growing up.

I believe it’s weird that even though I’m half asian and half white, a lot people just think of me as asian.

I believe in the scientific method.

I believe we can tell when we’re just kidding ourselves by checking how convenient our beliefs are.

I believe in love.
I believe it’s really silly to believe in love.
I believe in love.

I believe our methods of courtship were at their peak when we were in the third grade, those notes that said “I like you, do you like me?” with Yes and No checkboxes were perfect.

I believe that people don’t differentiate enough between microevolution, macroevolution and abiogensis.

I believe the Internet has failed to bring us together, since we mostly read blogs and watch videos that reinforce our preconceived ideas.

I believe that surfing the web is better than watching TV because it forces you to read and interact instead of passively watch.

I believe it’s weird that most Christians don’t think reading the scriptures of Hinduism is a necessary prerequisite to not believe in the tenets of Hinduism.

I believe we spend too much time thinking whether or not we can afford something rather than whether or not we should buy it.

I believe something is seriously wrong with our country when we think that prison rape is funny.

I believe people don’t realize that videos of someone monolouging are a horrible medium compared to text because they present information in a linear format that can’t be skimmed or searched. It’s like having a dictionary written out on a scroll.

I believe you can find a transcript of this video on my website at http://coffeeghost.net

I believe no one ever thinks they’re wrong, they simply justify their behavior by saying the other person has a problem.
I believe reality TV is the same thing as day time talk shows: they let us look at weirdos to feel better about ourselves.
I believe it’s easier to hate people when they happen to eat different food then we do, or speak a different language.

I believe it’s important to be able to locate any country in the world on a map.

I believe a lot kids grow up thinking they’re stupid because their teachers and parents never expected much from them.

I believe we aren’t challenged to explicitly back up our beliefs with evidence enough.

I believe that anger, distrust, and a sense of entitlement clouds our judgment and consideration for others.

I believe that bias in American media isn’t in what the report on, but what they don’t report on.
I believe that the amount of airtime Britney Spear’s haircut got is strong evidence for this.

I believe that anyone who justifies their career or trade as “giving people what they want” is a jackass.

I believe that the overwhelming majority of software patents are frivolous.

I believe that too many atheists automatically dismiss theists as unintelligent.
I believe that a minority of atheists automatically dismiss theists as unintelligent.

I believe we believe in comforting beliefs, even to the point of kidding ourselves.

I believe that falling into the trap of working a job you hate to buy crap you don’t need to impress people you don’t like is a lot easier than we think.

I believe that people who use background music in their videos in order to evoke emotion in their audience are odious.

I believe that we should feel with our hearts and think with our heads, and that a lot of our problems come when we forget that.

I believe that cities with hills are better than cities without them.

I believe that even though we don’t kill the messenger, we won’t invite him to our next birthday party.

I believe that most people don’t realize that prayer is more about comforting the prayer than it is about petitioning God.

I believe people in industrialized countries eat far too much meat in their diet.
I believe that considering everything else I’ll say in this video, I’ll catch a surprising amount of flak for that last one.

I believe it’s silly to say that my friend Josh isn’t fit to be a parent just because he has sex with other men.

I believe you can tell when two people in a conversation aren’t listening to each other because they’ll immediately talk about themselves when it’s their turn to speak.

I believe that stoning someone to death for working on the sabbath is, for lack of a better word, overkill.
I believe that anyone who says that Old Testament laws no longer apply are tacitly saying that there could be a time when they did.

I believe that World War I was the result of overly aggressive leaders who didn’t realize how quickly the violence would escalate.
I believe that World War II was the result of the previous victors failing to hold consideration for the loser’s welfare, and how that would cause such deep, long-lasting bitterness and anger.
I believe a lot of Americans don’t think it’s happening again.

I believe that because religions are so different yet so universal across human cultures, it’s more likely that they say something about humans more than the universe.

I believe we all want our lives to be like in the movies, without realizing how truly stupid that is.

I believe we should always admit the possibility that we could be wrong, including the possibility that we’re wrong about being wrong.

I believe we become adults on the day that we’re able to forgive our parents.

I believe that after about half an hour, you’ll probably forget most of the things I’ve said in this video, except for the line I’m saying right now.

I believe we have a lot more in common than we realize.

I believe that supernatural gods, including the Christian God, do not exist.