My Answer to the Question "What do you Believe?"

As far as what I believe, about the origin of the universe, of life, about how I feel everything fell into place, about the big bang, evolution, physics, thermodynamics, and all of that stuff, I would like to answer with three simple words:

I don't know. 

Instead of claiming to have the answers, instead of thinking that I can see through the past, the future, and down to the building blocks of the universe, I will instead admit that there is quite simply much that I do not yet know and far more still that I never will know for sure. 

Ultimately, science is much more about asking questions than it is about finding answers. The moment you cling to something as absolute truth, you blind yourself to the possibilities beyond it. If you're unwilling to question what you believe, you won't be able to learn the real truth. Because there IS real truth out there... we just have a long way to go before we discover more of it. 

The universe functions in an orderly way and is based on a solid set of rules. Improving our understanding of those rules is what science is about. Proclaiming that you understand all the rules is contrary to Science. Science is about getting results, about improving technology, about improving the lives of our fellow humans. 

You can call me an Atheist, an Agnostic, a Humanist, a Scientist... you can call me whatever you want, but ultimately it's not about what I believe... it's about what I choose NOT to believe. The religious idea of an all-powerful God is not scientific, it is not based on the rules of our universe, it is based on the dreams and feelings of men. I would much rather build my life on scientific theories that have purpose, that have solidity, that can be counted on for results, for answers, and are directly related to the way we all live our lives. Anything else belongs in the realm of fantasy.