I live in Sweden. I know quite a few people that don´t believe in God..actually..most of my friends are not believers in God. And are definitely not church goers. My partner does not believe in a god. He lives by a simple creed, you could say..not to hurt his fellow human beings or anything living, for that matter..He decided when he was around 20 yrs old that he wanted to spend his life here on earth..happy..as much as he can. My youngest adult child made a similar decision when he was about 16 or 17. He will 20 on Christmas Day and he expanded his decision by adding that he wants to spread happiness as much as he can. My son is a very social type of being where as my partner is more quiet and I suppose introvert. My partner and my son didn´t know about their similar decisions when they made them. My partner, who is now 36 yrs old..made his quite a while ago now. (my partner is not the father of any of my children).

I am not trying to refute anything anyone has written on this thread..I think that one´s beliefs are so personal and mean so much. But I did want to enter my thoughts here...

Personally..I don´t know what I believe right now. I was a Catholic while growing up. Then a New Churchwoman(a church based on Emanuel Swedenborg´s writings). And now I am where I am..reading alot..tending towards Buddhistic thought, I suppose. I am ok with the thought that there perhaps is no God..or even an afterlife..and that this may be all there is..that which we have here. But I am not sure of anything right now..and maybe I never will be again..I don´t know..we´ll see. I lost a daughter when she was 11 yrs old..she would be 39 on Dec 19th. She´s with me..within me..always. I know that..If there is no afterlife..that´s ok now,too. But it would have been difficult when she died. I believed then..and yes..it helped then. I have experienced losses now too..and it´s ok where I "am" right now.