This is the fifth in a series of six essays by St. Cloud freethinker Joel Bartos.

When two or more people disagree on something, why not find out what reality is dictating on the subject? Do not go by things only in people's heads, things that cannot be justified by scientific machinery and analysis. If you see a tree you know it is a tree because people can see it, go up to it and touch it, and put a machine in front of it to detect it. The tree exists outside people's minds and therefore reality dictates that there is a tree there. Why not do that with everything, and let that determine your belief system. All religions are wrong on many subject areas because reality dictates something totally different than what all religions are saying, regardless of how each religion has a different take on each subject area.

It is possible for most people to be wrong. Just look in history. Before Greek civilization most people thought the Earth was flat. Before Copernicus published his book in 1543 most people though the Earth was at the center of the Universe and that celestial objects revolved around that Earth.

Nowadays most people say they believe in things like God, life after death, angels, miracles, Divinity, etc. when these things are just constructs of the mind. Reality is dictating things much different, and doesn't allow for anything supernatural.