Atheism: An Empty Shell of a Life

[Samael_Khan]

I want to ask people if they see the same thing about Atheism -that it's an empty shell of a life. I'm not talking about scriptures, church, beliefs, facts or anything else... I just want to see if anyone else sees that no connection to divinity feels empty, and lacking... your opinions would be appreciated.

I actually feel like life has more meaning now that I am not religious. I used to be a part of a fundamentalist religion that believed that the world was ruled by Satan and that not keeping God as the main focus of life, which included how we should behave and think. It had a very negative view of the world and pretty much took the fun out of it, was full of judgement towards insiders and outsiders and many other things. The cognitive dissonance hit when the beliefs contradicted what I experienced in reality.

As you might see, my prior belief system was like a prison. The real world seemed empty because it lacked in spirituality apparently.

Now that I am free of it I enjoy life so much more. When I was religious I didn't feel complete being connected to a deity, I felt constantly guilty and miserable because there was no connection in the first place. Take prayer for instance. I persevered in prayer because I was told that I had to have a relationship with God, but the problem is that good relationships are not a one way street. God didn't reply, so it pretty much served the same purpose as me talking to myself and solving my own problems. God wasn't there in the relationship therefore the relationship was empty.

Life seems richer to me now because to me religion limits our understanding and freedom, whereas letting go of religion helped me to live life the way I see fit.

 

[ChristineM]

Nonsense. Everyone lapses in faith. And when I do, I feel a great loss. Something missing. Which is why I take great offense to _theists who actively work toward diminishing atheism.

A couple of word changes and
Bingo

 

[George-ananda]

What is an

That we are just physical matter and nothing more. No soul or higher bodies,

 

[Cooky]

That we are just physical matter and nothing more. No soul or higher bodies,

I love your Advaita.

 

[ChristineM]

You think I've never we exprienced your side. I have, and it feels like despair.

...And you want that for me..?

Bull.

How does not having blind faith in a bronze age myth make any difference?

 

[ecco]

Yes, I think the atheist-materialist view of reality is much darker, pointless and depressive than spiritualist beliefs which include a grander purpose and continuation of life after death.

What grander purpose?


How good can your life be if you require a "continuation of life after death" in order to be fulfilled?



Is an atheist's love for his children more materialistic than a theist's love for his children?

Is an atheist's appreciation for the beauty of nature more materialistic than a theist's appreciation for the beauty of nature?

Or is it that you have absolutely no clue to what you are talking about.

 

[George-ananda]

I love your Advaita.

The eternal God is within us. Great to know.

 

[Cooky]

I actually feel like life has more meaning now that I am not religious. I used to be a part of a fundamentalist religion that believed that the world was ruled by Satan and that not keeping God as the main focus of life, which included how we should behave and think. It had a very negative view of the world and pretty much took the fun out of it, was full of judgement towards insiders and outsiders and many other things. The cognitive dissonance hit when the beliefs contradicted what I experienced in reality.

As you might see, my prior belief system was like a prison. The real world seemed empty because it lacked in spirituality apparently.

Now that I am free of it I enjoy life so much more. When I was religious I didn't feel complete being connected to a deity, I felt constantly guilty and miserable because there was no connection in the first place. Take prayer for instance. I persevered in prayer because I was told that I had to have a relationship with God, but the problem is that good relationships are not a one way street. God didn't reply, so it pretty much served the same purpose as me talking to myself and solving my own problems. God wasn't there in the relationship therefore the relationship was empty.

Life seems richer to me now because to me religion limits our understanding and freedom, whereas letting go of religion helped me to live life the way I see fit.

It seems like your appetite for spirituality was starved to death by fundamentalism.

 

[Thief]

I actually feel like life has more meaning now that I am not religious. I used to be a part of a fundamentalist religion that believed that the world was ruled by Satan and that not keeping God as the main focus of life, which included how we should behave and think. It had a very negative view of the world and pretty much took the fun out of it, was full of judgement towards insiders and outsiders and many other things. The cognitive dissonance hit when the beliefs contradicted what I experienced in reality.

As you might see, my prior belief system was like a prison. The real world seemed empty because it lacked in spirituality apparently.

Now that I am free of it I enjoy life so much more. When I was religious I didn't feel complete being connected to a deity, I felt constantly guilty and miserable because there was no connection in the first place. Take prayer for instance. I persevered in prayer because I was told that I had to have a relationship with God, but the problem is that good relationships are not a one way street. God didn't reply, so it pretty much served the same purpose as me talking to myself and solving my own problems. God wasn't there in the relationship therefore the relationship was empty.

Life seems richer to me now because to me religion limits our understanding and freedom, whereas letting go of religion helped me to live life the way I see fit.

I don't have a religion either

 

[ChristineM]

That we are just physical matter and nothing more. No soul or higher bodies,

Then you too know just as much about atheism as the esteemed man of ignorance who opened this thread.

FYI
Atheism : disbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or gods.

Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[Secret Chief]

Who can miss something they've never experienced

Well it can only be speculation of course...

Its how I would feel as an Atheist

.... such as this.

 

[ecco]

Me and people like me have a voice. And we will not remain silent.

Children have a voice. And they do not remain silent. Making loud noises is something all humans and most animals can do.

 

[ecco]

How do certain threads get attention? Which area are they usually posted in?

I fear I don't know how to get activity on my threads, but they could just be uninteresting to people but are seen.

I asked about Atheism and Theism and wanted to know in depth stories and testimonials but I don't even know where my threads even show up, I can scarcely find them again myself, its just like they go poof!

Moving Towards Atheism or Theism? Shifts, New Beliefs, Etc.

Can the Atheists and Theists from here go to my thread also and write their stories about their journeys and thoughts please? I'd really appreciate it!

Do you want an honest answer? I went to your thread because I saw it listed in the New Threads column at the right of the screen. Your post made no sense to me so I didn't respond.

 

[George-ananda]

What grander purpose?

The gradual realization over many lifetimes that we are all eternal/infinite One/God/Brahman and that our nature is pure being-awareness-bliss. This grander purpose is realized by very few in a particular lifetime.

How good can your life be if you require a "continuation of life after death" in order to be fulfilled?



Is an atheist's love for his children more materialistic than a theist's love for his children?

Is an atheist's appreciation for the beauty of nature more materialistic than a theist's appreciation for the beauty of nature?

Or is it that you have absolutely no clue to what you are talking about.

An atheist and a theist can both love the here and now. But man being a philosophical being is enriched by seeing a grander purpose beyond the extinction of consciousness for all those we love and cherish. I am saying Theism-Spiritualism gives an even more inspiring grand picture to life that is very important to philosophical beings.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Yes, I think the atheist-materialist view of reality is much darker, pointless and depressive than spiritualist beliefs which include a grander purpose and continuation of life after death.

However if I intellectually believed atheistic-materialism was correct then I would find a way to make the best of it as it appears most atheists do.

For me, I'm not looking for a rose colored stained glass paradise that is only sourced to the whims of ones imagination. It sounds like a form of escapism to me.
A denial of the natural, where fantasy is better than reality.

In hindsight, I found it to be pretty accurate being I was a theist at one time. But that can only take you so far, especially when you keep hitting that undeniable wall of reality that affects one's fantasy necessitating the need to circumnavigate and accommodate those barriers each and every time.

Our whole existence as human beings is materialistic, so it's natural that materialism would apply. How could it not be?

What exactly is darkness and emptiness anyways?

The universe on its own did a good job of bringing me into existence without involvement of any type of God. Much less one that supposedly communicates.

Given the fact that I didn't need a god to come into this life, I certainly and most definitely won't need a god going out for sure. The so-called grand purpose is already obvious. No need to conflate things as it's pretty straightforward as it naturally presents itself.

 

[George-ananda]

Then you too know just as much about atheism as the esteemed man of ignorance who opened this thread.

FYI
Atheism : disbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or gods.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Have you forgotten that I added -materialism too when I said Atheist-Materialism? That is the philosophy I was referring to.

Materialism usually (but not necessarily) accompanies atheism.

 

[It Aint Necessarily So]

I want to ask people if they see the same thing about Atheism -that it's an empty shell of a life. I'm not talking about scriptures, church, beliefs, facts or anything else... I just want to see if anyone else sees that no connection to divinity feels empty, and lacking

Does having no connection to divinity feel empty, and lacking? Exactly the opposite.

I used to be a Christian, but left that for secular humanism. Only then did my life feel significant. It returned the significance of it to me. Previously, I was of the mind that my purpose was to get to heaven so that I could spend an eternity praising a god. In retrospect, I understand that that would be a meaningless existence. Perhaps not to the deity, but to me, if my reason for existing were to be a cosmic cheerleader. That's ultimate meaninglessness.

And I suspect that you've been subjected to the same process. Your comments indicate that life has no meaning to you without a god belief, so apparently, you find no meaning anywhere else. That's an empty shell of a life to me.

Glad I could help you to understand the atheist perspective and how abandoning my god belief actually allowed for life to become more meaningful. If that weren't the case, I'd have considered the transition to secular humanism a mistake and returned to what I had left.

 

[ecco]

I realize this. I've spoken to Atheists in the past who were previously believers, and in our deepest conversations they have indeed admitted to feelings of loss.

Name one. All too often, people like you post that you have knowledge of atheists you have encountered but when pressed, it becomes clear that the atheists are nothing more than your own versions of what you think or hope or believe an atheist feels like.

Furthermore, you have stated you don't want to hear from atheists, so what changed your mind? There are atheists here. Don't you want to have "deep conversations" with them/us/me so you can ask about their feelings of loss?

I'll start. I never had any feeling of loss when I realized I did not believe in any gods. Quite the contrary, it was enlightening.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I want to ask people if they see the same thing about Atheism -that it's an empty shell of a life. I'm not talking about scriptures, church, beliefs, facts or anything else... I just want to see if anyone else sees that no connection to divinity feels empty, and lacking... your opinions would be appreciated.

Personally, I see theism as a very high risk for dying with an unexamined life (particularly if you are born into it) and having given your life to the superstitions of an ancient people. They don't live an authentic life, they live the life prescribed to them from a book of ancient superstitions.
Atheists, on the other hand, typically have to consider and evaluate things. For they hold the life devaluing and cheapening belief of an afterlife and that this life isn't what's important.

 

[Samael_Khan]

It seems like your appetite for spirituality was starved to death by fundamentalism.

I grew up as a catholic and that didn't do anything for me either. It was just a bunch of meaningless rituals to me. (I care more about church history than I do about the belief itself).
Between Catholicism and the fundamentalist belief I was a stereotypical atheist, who disbelieved for a no good reason and it did seem empty to me.

Now that I am back as an atheist, I see things from a different perspective. I realise that I am not disposed to spirituality or developing relationships with people, nevermind a God. I care more about information, understanding the world, mystery and creativity than anything else.

What makes me feel good and me see that life isn't empty is the sheer amount of mystery and self expression in the world. I get a real spiritual experience from searching for and uncovering the mysteries of the world and studying complex theologies and symbolism and listening to metal music (which is more sophisticated than what people think. The actual music affects me like hymns affect believers). I love reading people's ideas in fiction books and studying religions and mythology. There is no need for a god in my life besides the various gods in everybody elses, especially in the past and in fiction. So actually spirituality plays a big part in my life, but just not from a personal perspective because I don't care about that.