The Rio Stanton Report

Tag: personal beliefs

  • A Note for New Readers

    A Note for New Readers

    Hello, everyone.

    For those who may not know me from my Facebook page or are unfamiliar with my writing, I want to briefly explain the kinds of topics I discuss and the perspective I bring to those conversations.

    In everyday life, I’m generally a relaxed and humorous person, but my writing tends to focus on serious issues, many of which people consider controversial. I often discuss topics that many people avoid in polite conversation: race, politics, religion, history, and social inequality. These conversations can generate strong reactions, and I understand that not everyone will agree with the positions I take.

    With that in mind, there are a few things readers should know about me.

    First, I consider myself pro-Black. My views are influenced by traditions of Black liberation thought, Pan-Africanism, and Afrocentric scholarship. That does not mean I am hostile toward other racial groups. However, I do believe that many of the modern racial hierarchies we see today have their roots in European colonial systems that imposed rigid racial classifications across much of the world. Because of that history, I have very little patience for openly anti-Black rhetoric, regardless of who expresses it.

    Second, I am an atheist. My atheism is not the result of ignorance or rebellion but the result of years of reading, research, and reflection. I respect the fact that religion is deeply personal for many people, and I generally avoid debating religion with many people out of courtesy. Religious beliefs are extrememly personal and I strongly believe that one’s spiritual walk is their own. I simply ask for the same respect in return. Expressions of faith are one thing; persistent attempts to proselytize to me, whether through private messages, unsoliticed phone calls, or “forced” debates, are another.

    Third, my politics are left-leaning, and I generally describe myself as a democratic socialist, and a leftist. While I try to understand perspectives across the political spectrum, I strongly disagree with many positions associated with contemporary conservative politics, particularly those that dismiss the struggles of low-wage workers or celebrate economic systems that leave large numbers of people behind.

    I believe conversations about these issues are necessary, even when they are uncomfortable. My goal is not to provoke hostility but to engage with difficult topics honestly and critically.

    If these subjects are not something you’re interested in seeing, I completely understand. I will post some lighter subject matter in the future. Everyone curates their online space differently.

    But if you are willing to engage thoughtfully, even when we disagree, then you are welcome here. Just try to be somewhat mature and respectful.

  • Why Do I Have to Explain Being an Atheist?

    Why Do I Have to Explain Being an Atheist?

    One of the most common reactions I receive when I tell people that I’m an atheist is, ironically, disbelief.

    The conversation usually follows a familiar pattern.

    “I’m an atheist.”

    “You’re an atheist?”

    Then comes the inevitable follow-up question: “Why?”

    Sometimes the question is genuine curiosity. But often it comes loaded with assumptions, usually the expectation that I must justify my lack of belief in the same way someone might explain a controversial political opinion.

    What has always struck me as strange is the underlying assumption behind the question itself.

    Why does disbelief require an explanation?

    In many societies, religious belief is treated as the default setting of human existence. Because of that assumption, people who do not believe are often expected to explain themselves in ways that believers rarely are.

    But belief and disbelief are both positions people arrive at through their own experiences, reasoning, and reflections.

    In my case, conversations about atheism often turn into debates that have very little to do with philosophy or metaphysics. Instead, they become exchanges between dogma and scientific arguments, with each side talking past the other.

    That kind of discussion rarely leads anywhere productive.

    Despite that, I usually answer the question anyway. Not because I believe I owe anyone an explanation, but because it can be an opportunity to address some of the misconceptions people have about atheists.

    Many people assume that atheists are hostile toward religion, immoral, or angry at the concept of God itself. In reality, most atheists simply do not find the evidence for religious claims convincing.

    For many of us, disbelief is not a rebellion, an excuse to “sin,” or a dramatic declaration of extreme contrarianism. It is simply the conclusion we arrived at after thinking about the questions that religion attempts to answer.

    Still, what often becomes clear in these conversations is that some people are not really interested in understanding atheism at all. Their goal is to proselytize, persuade, attempt to correct, or defend their own beliefs.

    And that is where the conversation usually stops being a conversation and starts being a series of unnecessary attacks.

    Because belief, like disbelief, is ultimately a personal conclusion that each individual must reach on their own.

    I chose my position a long time ago. I didn’t choose it through ignorance or malicious intent. I chose it because it made the most sense to me based on years of philosophical thought and research.