words of a godless man
I asked myself what I believed. I had never prayed a lot. I hoped hard,
I wished hard, but I didn’t pray. I had developed a certain distrust of
organized religion growing up, but I felt I had the capacity to be a
spiritual person, and to hold some fervent beliefs. Quite simply, I
believed I had a responsiblity to be a good person, and that meant
fair, honest, hardworking, and honorable. If I did that, if I was good
to my family, true to my friends, if I gave back to my community or to
some cause, if I wasn’t a liar, a cheat, or a thief, then I believed
that should be enough. At the end of the day, if there was indeed some
Body or presence standing there to judge me, I hoped I would be judged
on whether I had lived a true life, not on whther I believed in a
certain book, or whether I’d been baptized. If there was indeed a God
at the end of my days, I hoped he didn’t say, "But you were never a
Christian, so you’re going the other way from heaven." If so, I was
going to reply, "You know what? You’re right. Fine."
-Lance Armstrong
