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Old 05-07-2009, 04:54 PM
 
Location: The #1 sunshine state, Arizona.
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Am I disappointed that I'm not naive? You bet! The biggest disappointment... no longer being able to kiss my food up to God after it was dropped on the floor.
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Old 05-07-2009, 05:17 PM
 
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I actually feel the opposite. My transformation from being a religious teen through agnosticism to strong atheism was one of the most liberating processes of my life.

I no longer feel as if I have an inscrutable, bipolar parent looking over my shoulder, treating me as a playtoy to be abandoned and discarded. My actions, successes and failures are mine to celebrate or regret. I do not have to worry about whether or not I am being punished for the decisions of long dead Adam and Eve. The blatant unfairness of the world is simply the way the universe works, more or less by accident, rather than by the design of a cruel dictator. I can be good simply for the sake of being so, rather than worrying about my motives.

Do I wish that I could live forever, or at least for a few million years? Sure, life is short and that is unfortunate. As for the rest of religion, no, I do not miss it, nor do I regret my awakening to the truch and wonder that is the universe around me.
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Old 05-07-2009, 07:42 PM
 
179 posts, read 534,934 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fishbrains View Post
I actually feel the opposite. My transformation from being a religious teen through agnosticism to strong atheism was one of the most liberating processes of my life.

I no longer feel as if I have an inscrutable, bipolar parent looking over my shoulder, treating me as a playtoy to be abandoned and discarded. My actions, successes and failures are mine to celebrate or regret. I do not have to worry about whether or not I am being punished for the decisions of long dead Adam and Eve. The blatant unfairness of the world is simply the way the universe works, more or less by accident, rather than by the design of a cruel dictator. I can be good simply for the sake of being so, rather than worrying about my motives.

Do I wish that I could live forever, or at least for a few million years? Sure, life is short and that is unfortunate. As for the rest of religion, no, I do not miss it, nor do I regret my awakening to the truch and wonder that is the universe around me.

doesn't sound like you feel the "opposite" way as i do.
i feel exactly that!
i never said that i "miss" anything from when i was a believer! i simply said that it would have been "nice" if there was something after we die and the fact that i know with high certainty that there isn't is a bit disappointing to me.
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Old 05-08-2009, 05:06 AM
 
Location: OKC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ultimatetruth View Post
doesn't sound like you feel the "opposite" way as i do.
i feel exactly that!
i never said that i "miss" anything from when i was a believer! i simply said that it would have been "nice" if there was something after we die and the fact that i know with high certainty that there isn't is a bit disappointing to me.

I think we all go through that phase.

We were born with a powerful survival instinct, and it's hard to get your brain to accept a solution that life is finite. You're biologically predisposed to want to live forever. It takes a little while to come to terms with life being for a definite period of time.

Eventually you'll get comfortable with that fact after awhile, (although every now and then I do still wish I could live forever.)

I was a Christian who became an atheist. That transition was the closest thing to a "conversion" experience I've ever had. The world suddenly starts to make a lot more sense when you take an irrational God out of it. There are some emotional roller coasters along they way, depending on the path it took you to get here.
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Old 05-08-2009, 06:02 AM
 
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Originally Posted by Boxcar Overkill View Post
I was a Christian who became an atheist. That transition was the closest thing to a "conversion" experience I've ever had. The world suddenly starts to make a lot more sense when you take an irrational God out of it. There are some emotional roller coasters along they way, depending on the path it took you to get here.

thank you for your post. i really appreciate it.
Merci
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Old 05-08-2009, 08:04 AM
 
Location: Wisconsin
520 posts, read 893,536 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ultimatetruth View Post
thanks for the reply.
i too feel the freedom you mentioned....but i still wish there 'was' a more fulfilling 'purpose' other than populating the earth.
and to your other point....it's VERY hard not to look down to those who still need a myth! i know i was in the same boat up until a few months ago...but it's HARD! I will try harder though. thanks
One thing that alot of people don't realize (believers and nonbelievers, though more so for believers) is the existetnce of a diety does not gaurentee life purpose. One's purpose in life is a very personal thing, and must be devolped by the individual. For one to root their purpose in life that something other than their personal identety, personal experiences, and personal insights, is in a sense whoring oneself out. By willingly letting something else define such a personal aspect of ones life is to lessen their personaly identity.

As to your question in the OP, dissapointed no, humbled yes. When i lost my faith i was no longer troubled by questions i did not have awnsers for. I took joy in the fact that i finaly had the tool to really understand the world around me for what it was, not what someone else said i should think it was. Loosing my faith was the first step in a life long process of self discovery, and that does not dissapoint me in the least.
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Old 05-08-2009, 08:32 AM
 
Location: OKC
5,421 posts, read 6,484,738 times
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The first few months can be hard. One of the hurdles to surpass is coming to terms with the fact that some day you will no longer exist. Then there are the questions about the purpose of life, which is now uncertain since you have no God.

It wasn't a carefree transformation for me. Once I abandon superstition and decided to go where ever logic would lead me, I had some deep thinking to do. But I came out of it a stronger person, and now everything just makes so much more sense. It's hard to remember how I could understand the world when I believed all that crazy-ness.

I'm much happier now. But occasionally, I'll catch myself feeling a little blue that life has to end for me at some point. However, that's goes away, and it's really a small thing now compared to the PITA that was being a southern baptist.
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Old 05-08-2009, 08:45 AM
 
179 posts, read 534,934 times
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Originally Posted by Boxcar Overkill View Post
I'm much happier now. But occasionally, I'll catch myself feeling a little blue that life has to end for me at some point. However, that's goes away, and it's really a small thing now compared to the PITA that was being a southern baptist.
thanks for the post.
I'm glad that you're happier and i think i am too :-)
The "feeling blue" that life has to end at some point is pretty much what i was talking about....but like you said, when i feel that way, i remind myself that in a way, that's even better since it would force you to enjoy this life a bit more....but then again, i often ask myself what the point of it all is! i mean, you enjoy your life, you die. you're miserable, you die. you kill, rape, steal, you die. you help others, make the world a better place, you die.
i guess it's a matter of choosing the path that allows for maximum enjoyment in life and experiencing as much as possible while here....but ultimately, i don't think it makes a bit of difference. it simply doesn't matter! :-)
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Old 05-08-2009, 08:48 AM
 
2,957 posts, read 7,367,014 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ultimatetruth View Post
thanks for the post.
I'm glad that you're happier and i think i am too :-)
The "feeling blue" that life has to end at some point is pretty much what i was talking about....but like you said, when i feel that way, i remind myself that in a way, that's even better since it would force you to enjoy this life a bit more....but then again, i often ask myself what the point of it all is! i mean, you enjoy your life, you die. you're miserable, you die. you kill, rape, steal, you die. you help others, make the world a better place, you die.
i guess it's a matter of choosing the path that allows for maximum enjoyment in life and experiencing as much as possible while here....but ultimately, i don't think it makes a bit of difference. it simply doesn't matter! :-)
That's not true. Christianity being false does not mean that "nothing matters". The reality is that you need to figure out for yourself what matters and what does not. If you neglect to do that, you may find yourself grasping for easy answers again when things get tough. And they will get tough with or without religion.
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Old 05-08-2009, 08:56 AM
 
179 posts, read 534,934 times
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Originally Posted by b. frank View Post
That's not true. Christianity being false does not mean that "nothing matters". The reality is that you need to figure out for yourself what matters and what does not. If you neglect to do that, you may find yourself grasping for easy answers again when things get tough. And they will get tough with or without religion.
you know there are other religions/myths other than christianity right? lol i wasn't a christian.
i don't think i'd ever go back willingly to believe something i understand to be a myth.

however, i challenge you to explain to me why "life really doesn't matter" is not spot on. (we may be referring to "mattering" on different levels though. i'm talking "ultimately")
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