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I was happy when I discovered there was no god.
It meant I didn't have a sense of guilt, didn't have to watch my tongue for fear of retribution, and I didn't feel judged all the time.
I was however angry that I was out of $$ that I gave to churches and out of the time I spent believe in all the bs I was taught in church.
I don't feel sad that this is it, it just gives me more motivation to live to the fullest.
if you don't believe in god then you must belive in Satan. (as i am only 17 and not going to throw scripture at you just because i cant memorize please do not speak against my religion with all do respect.) but i still don't understand why you cant belive in God although you cannot see him. would you worship a golden calf?
I am going to ignore this because you are only 17 after all...
To the poster: Avoid people like the ^above ^ poster and you will be fine
I lost my faith when I was in my mid 40's. I had no self esteem, being in a religion that constantly reinforced the message that I would never be good enough, never be doing enough for God.
I had prayed for many years that he would help me to have faith, and give me strength when I needed it. He never answered my prayers even though I thanked and praised him, even though I asked in accordance with 'his will.' I eventually had a breakdown and I felt completely abandoned by God, that he had left me to Satan, because I had failed to endure.
When I found out that it was all false, it was like a release from a self imposed prison. I felt a peace and calm that I had never had. I began to feel better about myself and a measure of self esteem I had never enjoyed.
Am I disappointed? Well, to know that God is not going to end suffering and pain and death for so many on this planet disappoints me, but at least I do not get angry with God anymore for allowing it, as he obviously is not there. And I comfort myself with the knowledge that if it all was true, I would never ever want to live in heaven or anywhere else with the God of the Bible, because he is so far removed from ANYONE I could conceive of having for my parent.
I am free at last and I cannot put a value on that freedom. It is priceless.
Ya know,.....I've heard of that, not so much for me, I was actually relieved that, at least in some circles, I no longer had to pretend to believe any more. But..... I have heard that for some new Atheists, it is the loss of the innocence, they could not buy into the myth anymore, kinda like when you first found out about Santa Clause. It also passes, as is the tendency with an awfully lot of things. I have never regreted my loss of faith, from it I have gained self-confidence, and an unquenchable curiosity about so many things in life. Science......the word alone makes me feel better, it gives me things in which to believe, that are real, vibrant, complex, and inexplicably comfortable.
Before I accepted my atheism, none of the possible answers regarding what happens after death were particularly comforting.
1) Death is the end of consciousness.
2) After death, eternal heaven, hell, purgatory.
3) Re-incarnation
There might be alternatives that I haven't considered but those are the three I personally struggled to comprehend. Obviously, the first option, total obliteration of consciousness troubled me because I have survival instinct. However, the second option, eternity of consciousness terrified me (regardless of whether I went to heaven or hell, although heaven is the preferable option.) For me, the thought of my consciousness continuing for eternity, enduring the vast stretches of time with no relief, is worse than the end of consciousness.
Re-incarnation seemed comforting but when that idea is really broken down, consciousness is still infinite. Re-incarnation, as far as how long our consciousness lasts is really no different than the heaven/hell hypothesis except that consciousness continues with no idea that it existed before. Is ignorance really bliss?
So, there seemed to be no comfort to be found; both eternity and obliteration of self are hard ideas to contemplate. Next, I tried to rationalize that consciousness somehow exists outside of time; therefore, eternity would be tolerable. But, there was no way to prove this hypothesis. This rationalization smacked of wishful thinking; in fact, it smacked of religious wishful thinking. Does not compute; failure imminent.
For awhile, I let go of these questions and just tried to learn about new ideas. The more I read about the mind, and how our consciousness appears to be a purely biological process, the more I began to accept option one as the only logical conclusion. I'm not overjoyed by this conclusion but I'm coming to peace with it.
I've had surgery twice; general anesthesia was used both times. When I began to regain consciousness, I found that I wanted to stay in that nothingness. Although I wasn't aware of the nothingness while I was there, I wanted to go back when I became aware. It wasn't a bad place; I think death will be similar. Please note, I don't have a death wish; I'm not suicidal. I've just realized that lack of consciousness is not something to be feared; for me, its peaceful.
if you don't believe in god then you must belive in Satan. (as i am only 17 and not going to throw scripture at you just because i cant memorize please do not speak against my religion with all do respect.) but i still don't understand why you cant belive in God although you cannot see him. would you worship a golden calf?
.
There are a 1000 different religions out there, and you don't believe in 999 of them.
Atheist are just like you, except we have doubts about one more religion than you.
When you understand why you think those other 999 aren't true, than you'll also understand why we atheist think yours isn't true either.
You'll also understand why we don't believe in a devil, and why we don't worship golden calves.
For those who don't know by now, I started doubting all of this nonesense a few months ago and now, i'm happy (sort of) to be an Atheist.
I am feeling a bit strange though and i'd like to hear your views on this and to see if anyone feels the same way i do!
See, i now do not believe in a heaven and hell and so all i do in life is for this life and this life alone....I try to enjoy my life to the fullest; i try to be good to others and love my family. i try to learn as much as possible and see as much of the world as i can in the time that i have on this earth.
however, i do feel a bit sad! Sad because i'm disappointed to finally understand that THIS IS IT! before i became an atheist, i believed in a afterlife (or at least entertained the idea) but now, it's clear as day to me that all that is pure BS. that makes me sad and a bit disappointed. To suddenly realize that there is NO grand 'purpose' in life, other than reproducing, raising offsprings, and if lucky, enjoying life, is somewhat sad. Don't get me wrong...i love my life and i'm amazed everyday by life itself and the nature that surrounds me...but i do kinda wish there was something else! (but there clearly isn't!)
anyone else feel what i feel?
I don't feel sad at all. As a matter of fact I am glad that life ends when I die. I'm going to be old and tired I hope.
You define your purpose in life. Reproduction is only a biological goal. The way we live this life IS our reward. We don't have to wait for heaven. We can live the best life possible NOW. I don't have to wonder what God's purpose for me is. I'll decide that on my own thank you very much.
Don't mourn for something that never existed. Sure it would be nice if heaven existed, and it would be nice if crap turned to gold when it hit the water, but it just isnt true. You arent losing anything, just an Idea.
I do understand what you mean Ultimate but of course, you are only thinking about the best and most comforting parts and forgetting all the rest that was attached....like a woman that after leaving an abusive husband misses the fact that he brought home a nice paycheck.
But the trade offs are more than compensating once the habits of old thoughts fade away.
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