text: how can i find religion without people trying to convert me? religion, ideally, is good. i think it's helpful to have a strong set of convictions and ethics for your life, and the afterlife sounds pretty sweet too.  however, organized religion has caused major damage throughout history, and still does to this day. so atheism has it's appeal, but i've found that atheists can be every bit as pretentious and overbearing as any religious fanatic. i believe there is a god, but being a 'casual' christian or catholic or whatever seems to be just as bad for a lot of people.    i'm not ready to take faith out of my life, but stupid athiests and christians make faith (or lack of it) a very confusing thing. stan, the answer i give below is actually one that i gave to an earlier questioner who asked, "what is the meaning of life."  i re-post it here, because i think the substance of it pertains to your very valid question. (in particular, the last two paragraphs).  hope it helps.  =============================================  certain questions are wrong -- like asking, "do you still beat your wife?" if you've never beaten your wife there's no correct way to answer it. if you answer "yes" it implies that you once did beat your wife, and if you answer "no" it implies that you're still doing it. such is the case with this perennial question. it keeps coming up, and people think there's an objective answer -- like a solution to a mathematical equation, or a cure to a disease. people keep expecting someone, somewhere to come up with the magic answer, and suddenly we're all going to slap our foreheads and say, "wow! so that's it!!! thanks."   unfortunately, life is not an objective enterprise. it is a subjective enterprise. we may do science objectively, but nobody (i repeat -- nobody) lives life "objectively." we all live it subjectively. and if that is the case, the question "what is the meaning of life" is nonsensical. you're asking for an objective answer to a subjective problem.  therefore, you have to approach the problem subjectively. the proper question isn't "what is the meaning of life" (in objective terms), but "what is the meaning of my life" -- asked in subjective terms.  and what is the meaning of your life? only you can answer that. that is the existential choice. it's all on you -- and nobody but you. it's the question each one of us must ultimately confront. you can be reactive and let others choose for you; or you can be proactive, seize the day, and define your own existence. it's up to you.