I don't mind if other people call me an atheist, but I call myself a naturalist. Atheism doesn't tell you much about what I do believe in; the term naturalist opens up the discussion better. Greg Graffin More Quotes by Greg Graffin More Quotes From Greg Graffin We should enjoy and make the most of life, not because we are in constant fear of what might happen to us in a mythical afterlife, but because we have only one opportunity to live. Greg Graffin live-lifefearopportunity PUNK IS: the personal expression of uniqueness that comes from the experiences of growing up in touch with our human ability to reason and ask questions. Greg Graffin punkgrowing-upexpression It's my firm conclusion that human meaning comes from humans, not from a supernatural source. After we die, our hopes for an afterlife reside in the social networks that we influenced while we were alive. If we influence people in a positive way -- even if our social web is only as big as our nuclear family -- others will want to emulate us and pass on our ideas, manners, and lifestyle to future generations. This is more than enough motivation for me to do good things in my life and teach my children to do the same. Greg Graffin motivationchildrenideas You can't let your personal disposition be dictated by the world around you. Greg Graffin dispositionworld Whether you reach a lot of people or have a profound impact on a few people, their memories of you are your afterlife. Greg Graffin afterlifeimpactmemories It’s a similar feeling from being in a community of punk rockers as a teenager and the feeling I still get today when I’m in a community of skeptical scientists. The idea with both is that you challenge authority, you challenge the dogma. You challenge the doctrine in order to make progress. The thrill of science is the process. It’s a social process. It’s a process of collective discovery. It’s debate, it’s experimentation and it’s verification of claims that might be false. It’s the greatest foundation for a society. Greg Graffin teenagerdiscoveryorder So much of the habitat destruction and pollution is based on the simple principle that we somehow have been given free license over other species to degrade the planet. Greg Graffin habitatprinciplessimple I don't bill myself as an atheist but as a naturalist. Naturalism is a belief system. A lot of scientists bristle at that. We all have to believe we can find the truth. Evidence is my guide. I rely on observation, experimentation and verification. Greg Graffin billsatheistbelieve Our faith should be expressed in working toward a better planet for our children and not the selfish, juvenile hope for a better afterlife for ourselves. I don't think anyone is going to Hell, because it only exists in the minds of people who wish ill will on others. Greg Graffin selfishchildrenthinking Humans impart meaning and purpose to almost all aspects of life. This sense of meaning and purpose gives us a road map for how to live a good life. This guidance emerges spontaneously from the interactions of human beings living in societies and thinking together about how best to get along. It doesn't require a god or sacred text. Greg Graffin good-lifegivingthinking Almost everyone shuts down when science becomes too technical; you've got to infuse it with entertainment and storytelling to make it effective. From high school on, science is taught in a very dry manner, which isn't as potent. Greg Graffin taughtdryschool Naturalism teaches one of the most important things in this world. There is only this life, so live wonderfully and meaningfully. Greg Graffin this-lifeimportantworld I'm trying to champion the naturalist's worldview and show it's not as heathen as most religious people would make it out to be. Greg Graffin championreligiouspeople there is no such thing as hell but you can make it if you try Greg Graffin hellifstrying I would say there's a lot of similarity between folk and punk. It's written for the common man. Greg Graffin punkcommonmen As I’ve said, I’ve never believed in God, which technically makes me an atheist (since the prefix “a” means “not” or “without”). But I have problems with the word “atheism.” It defines what someone is not rather than what someone is. It would be like calling me an a-instrumentalist for Bad Religion rather than the band’s singer. Defining yourself as against something says very little about what you are for. Greg Graffin atheismatheistmean Science is very vibrant. There are always new observations to be found. And it's all in the interest in challenging the authority that came before you. That's consistent with the punk rock ethos that suggests that you should not take what people say at face value. Greg Graffin ethosrockspeople If you can believe in God, then you can believe in anything. It's a gang mentality. Greg Graffin gangifsbelieve You can look at Bad Religion, and, really, almost everything I've ever done was an exercise in creativity. I've always had a desire to challenge and question authority, and that's where the fire inside comes from. I challenged authority out of a desire to make things better, not to be nihilistic about it. Greg Graffin creativityfireexercise Life is never static. Despite catastrophic tragedies, life has persisted in evolving new varieties of unimaginable forms. I find comfort in the narrative of evolutionary history. Greg Graffin narrativetragedycomfort
