The Atheist belief is sad indeed.

[Reverend Rick]

OK folks, this is not an attack thread. Some of my favorite RF members are Atheists. Actually, most are. That said, I want to address the Atheist mindset.

Most Atheists I know came from religious families. They could be looked upon as religious pioneers if you will. Not being an Atheist myself, I guess I am wondering about the emotion one would have to experience when you first decide there is no God.

Is it like realizing there is no Santa Claus? I doubt it. When we have that realization we still get gifts and celebrate Christmas.

Are there true Atheists out there, or are some Atheists just closet Christians who want to look trendy and cool but would pray if their plane was crashing?

The Atheists who would not pray in this instance, these are the folks I want to have a dialog with. The true Atheist if you will. What did it feel like when you realized there was no god? As you are aging, how does it feel to believe that when you die, it is all over? Does that make you sad?

 

[jmvizanko]

Well I was happy for the thought that there is no hell. Plus my opinions and ethics are now my own, and not based on some ancient book, and I feel more free from that. And as far as nothing after death, I didn't seem to mind that much before I was born.

So what is there to be sad about?

And geez yes, there are true atheists, and I am one, albeit it an implicit atheist.

 

[Revoltingest]

Most Atheists I know came from religious families. They could be looked upon as religious pioneers if you will. Not being an Atheist myself, I guess I am wondering about the emotion one would have to experience when you first decide there is no God.

Most of the atheists I know also came from religious families. I presume that's cuz there is just so gosh darn many of them.
(Atheist families are few & far between.) Many tell me that ditching the dogma was liberating. None have told me they felt a loss.

Are there true Atheists out there, or are some Atheists just closet Christians who want to look trendy and cool but would pray if their plane was crashing?

We are trendy & cool? Who'da thunk it!

The Atheists who would not pray in this instance, these are the folks I want to have a dialog with. The true Atheist if you will. What did it feel like when you realized there was no god? As you are aging, how does it feel to believe that when you die, it is all over? Does that make you sad?

Alas, I've always been an atheist, so I can't speak much about the conversion experience.
I can tell you that I'm not sad, nor are the other atheists whom I know. So the "indeed" in your title is quite a stretch.
But I can see that to a believer, atheist converts would appear to have suffered the loss of what you hold dear.

 

[kai]

OK folks, this is not an attack thread. Some of my favorite RF members are Atheists. Actually, most are. That said, I want to address the Atheist mindset.

Most Atheists I know came from religious families. They could be looked upon as religious pioneers if you will. Not being an Atheist myself, I guess I am wondering about the emotion one would have to experience when you first decide there is no God.

Is it like realizing there is no Santa Claus? I doubt it. When we have that realization we still get gifts and celebrate Christmas.

Are there true Atheists out there, or are some Atheists just closet Christians who want to look trendy and cool but would pray if their plane was crashing?

The Atheists who would not pray in this instance, these are the folks I want to have a dialog with. The true Atheist if you will. What did it feel like when you realized there was no god? As you are aging, how does it feel to believe that when you die, it is all over? Does that make you sad?

i cant ever remember ever truly believing in god it just didn't make sense, as for death! what happens happens.

I am not averse to believing something ,anything, just as long as it makes sense to me.

i never really understood the heaven thing ? what would have to happen to me that i didn't miss or even pine for my loved ones?

I have been married ( in a Church) and some of my kids have been christened but this is more social convention than any religious observance.

 

[Krok]

OK folks, this is not an attack thread. Some of my favorite RF members are Atheists. Actually, most are. That said, I want to address the Atheist mindset.

Atheist mindset? I doubt that there is such a thing. Lack of belief in some preposterous claims is not a mindset.

Most Atheists I know came from religious families. They could be looked upon as religious pioneers if you will. Not being an Atheist myself, I guess I am wondering about the emotion one would have to experience when you first decide there is no God.

I didn’t just decide there was no god some morning when I woke up. It was a whole process, starting to question inconsistencies in my religion. That, coupled with very unsatisfactory answers (things like some mysterious plan), together with things like studying church and biblical history did it for me. They lied to me about basic things like the bible.

Is it like realizing there is no Santa Claus? I doubt it. When we have that realization we still get gifts and celebrate Christmas.

I still get gifts and celebrate Christmas. It’s a cultural thing. Nothing to do with religion.

Are there true Atheists out there, or are some Atheists just closet Christians who want to look trendy and cool but would pray if their plane was crashing?

Never been in a plane that crashed. I doubt that I will pray if it happens, though. Is this some kind of No True Scotsman type of argument you want to project on atheists?

The Atheists who would not pray in this instance, these are the folks I want to have a dialog with. The true Atheist if you will.

Ah, so the No True Christian argument, it is. It doesn’t apply to atheists. We don't believe in anything unless we have pretty good evidence for it to exist.

What did it feel like when you realized there was no god?

Extremely liberated. I didn’t have to worry about burning in hell if I found any woman, other than my wife, sexually attractive. After all, you've got no control over that. religious people think it is a sin.

As you are aging, how does it feel to believe that when you die, it is all over? Does that make you sad?

No, liberated. For me things will be exactly the same after death as they were before I was born.

 

[bobhikes]

OK folks, this is not an attack thread. Some of my favorite RF members are Atheists. Actually, most are. That said, I want to address the Atheist mindset.

Most Atheists I know came from religious families. They could be looked upon as religious pioneers if you will. Not being an Atheist myself, I guess I am wondering about the emotion one would have to experience when you first decide there is no God.

Is it like realizing there is no Santa Claus? I doubt it. When we have that realization we still get gifts and celebrate Christmas.

Are there true Atheists out there, or are some Atheists just closet Christians who want to look trendy and cool but would pray if their plane was crashing?

The Atheists who would not pray in this instance, these are the folks I want to have a dialog with. The true Atheist if you will. What did it feel like when you realized there was no god? As you are aging, how does it feel to believe that when you die, it is all over? Does that make you sad?

Actually it was quite a relief. For years I tried to live up to the perfect standards of my religion. When ever I strayed I let the guilt weigh heavly upon me. I constantly beat myself up for stupid infractions.

All that went away once I decided god did not exist. I was so happy that at first I thought all should join the cause and I would prove to the world it is better to not have a god but this was short lived.

Some people need God and are better people because of God. To others God is a burden that when lifted their lives are better. I am one of the others.

If I am found out to be wrong(I did a lot of work to prove myself right) I want God to destroy me on the spot. An afterlife with God would be my hell.

 

[Revoltingest]

Regarding the notion that even an atheist will pray when facing a dire situation & death.
One of the climbers in the movie, Touching the Void, faced this sans prayer. (It's about
3 & 1/2 minutes into the video.)

[youtube]nWhmOwGqcMQ[/youtube]
YouTube - Touching the Void atheism

 

[Madhuri]

I hear a lot of atheists saying that they feel liberated.

But I think that feeling liberated comes from feeling fearful or suppressed in the prior situation. I do not think that it is the atheism itself that causes this feeling. I guess if you no longer fear a hell or a devil, that would be quite a relief.

 

[sandandfoam]

When I considered myself an atheist I was more mad than sad.
But I probably wasn't a real atheist

 

[Falvlun]

Well, Rev, for me, it was an incredibly sad experience. I lost my center, my focus, my best friend. I had to be honest with myself, though: I just had no reason to believe that God existed. I lost my capacity to simply believe.

The sadness is no longer constant, but I do get a twinge here and there. I would love for God to exist. But if he does, then he's going to have to make his presence undeniable for me to be able to believe in him ever again. I simply can't will myself to just believe he does anymore; I've tried.

 

[Revoltingest]

The sadness is no longer constant, but I do get a twinge here and there. I would love for God to exist. But if he does, then he's going to have to make his presence undeniable for me to be able to believe in him ever again. I simply can't will myself to just believe he does anymore; I've tried.

I hope it gets better.

 

[Panda]

OK folks, this is not an attack thread. Some of my favorite RF members are Atheists. Actually, most are. That said, I want to address the Atheist mindset.

Most Atheists I know came from religious families. They could be looked upon as religious pioneers if you will. Not being an Atheist myself, I guess I am wondering about the emotion one would have to experience when you first decide there is no God.

Is it like realizing there is no Santa Claus? I doubt it. When we have that realization we still get gifts and celebrate Christmas.

I'm different in this respect anyway from most people you know. I'm 3rd generation atheist at least. My parents and grand parents are all atheists. In fact when I first learnt about the concept of God I found it hard to get around the idea that anyone could actually believe in it. (Though at the time Santa Claus was perfectly real and plausible, I mean he left presents every year )

Are there true Atheists out there, or are some Atheists just closet Christians who want to look trendy and cool but would pray if their plane was crashing?

The Atheists who would not pray in this instance, these are the folks I want to have a dialog with. The true Atheist if you will. What did it feel like when you realized there was no god? As you are aging, how does it feel to believe that when you die, it is all over? Does that make you sad?

Obviously can't answer the first part but the second part is easy. It makes me feel happy. To know I only have a short amount of time makes me want to enjoy it as best as I can. To me this being in only life we get is my motivation to make it a good one as well as trying to improve it for others.

 

[Falvlun]

I hope it gets better.

Oh, it's not that bad. It was about 5 years ago. I go through life basically content, now. Just a little "oh, that's a bummer" feeling every now and then.

 

[fantome profane]

Does the idea that I am going to die make me sad. Yes it does a little bit. Honestly I tend to get more depressed at the idea that those I love are going to die. For me personally the idea of living forever is strange, creepy and completely unappealing. The idea that I will cease to exist is a little sad, but much preferable to the alternative.

Also I have been in a life threatening situation, it didn’t involve a plane but I was at the time absolutely certain that this was the end of me. And I can tell you that the idea of prayer never occurred to me. It wasn’t even that I made a conscious decision not to pray, it really just never occurred to me.

 

[LuisDantas]

OK folks, this is not an attack thread. Some of my favorite RF members are Atheists. Actually, most are. That said, I want to address the Atheist mindset.

Most Atheists I know came from religious families. They could be looked upon as religious pioneers if you will. Not being an Atheist myself, I guess I am wondering about the emotion one would have to experience when you first decide there is no God.

Is it like realizing there is no Santa Claus? I doubt it. When we have that realization we still get gifts and celebrate Christmas.

Are there true Atheists out there, or are some Atheists just closet Christians who want to look trendy and cool but would pray if their plane was crashing?

The Atheists who would not pray in this instance, these are the folks I want to have a dialog with. The true Atheist if you will. What did it feel like when you realized there was no god? As you are aging, how does it feel to believe that when you die, it is all over? Does that make you sad?

My birth family was hardly religious at all, although it did bend a bit towards the credulous side, eventually embracing Kardecist Spiritism (which I don't consider a proper religion, but is certainly a belief, albeit an inferior one). On the other hand, that did not stop them from being condescending to my non-belief.

Far as I can remember, I was fairly shocked when I realized that there was no Santa Claus. It was very different from my atheism, which goes back to as far as I can remember.

I assure you, I will by no means pray if my plane goes down. There is hardly any reason for me to. I do not fear death, and I certainly am not about to resort to a God I do not believe to exist for any reason I can conceive of, including my imminent death.

It does not sadden me to know that there is no God. Death is far less of a problem and far more of a solution than people usually give it credit for. Truth be told, I have a hard time trying to put myself on the shoes of someone who would be afraid of death.

Also, I do not believe it is ALL over when I die, although I guess I would be ok with that idea. We all live on through the people that we have met and interacted with, as well as their descendants.

As for being sad, well, I am the kind of person who is very ensaddened by that which does exist, not by that which does not exist. I have a far harder time accepting the flaws of existence than in accepting its finite nature.

 

[bobhikes]

Does the idea that I am going to die make me sad. .

Just wanted to give my opinion on this quote

For me death is a release. Life has its ups and downs and to be honest much more downs then ups. The ups are so good that we forget the downs. When I die there is no more fighting, no more struggling and no more pain. There will come a time when the fighting, struggling and pain outweigh the ups and I will wish to die. I am fine with this.

When others die it is the same. I look at all the negatives that they will miss and am happy for them.

 

[monta]

If the thread is meant to be interrogatory and not derogatory you should change the title.

 

[Amill]

I grew up with a completely non-religious family(not atheist, just not religious) so I never really forged any kind of emotional attachment to any of my opinions and thoughts about the Universe. Realization makes it sound like it happened in an instance, but in my case I can't really stick a finger on a moment that I actually realized I didn't think god existed. Before I became an atheist I had already boiled down god to basically some sort of magical energy or life force, so my atheist conversion wasn't much of a jump(technically I was an atheist while I believed god was a "life force" anyways).

I don't really like the idea that "true atheists" wouldn't pray if their plane was going down. I myself may very well pray if I am in that kind of situation. It doesn't mean that I believe in god or that anyone will hear me. Seeing that I would be going through a lot of emotional turmoil at that moment I may very well "hope" that someone up there may exist and help me out. Or I'd just be praying that I get lucky. I don't really know who I'd be praying to, but I don't know why you think that would mean I'm a closet christian or just an atheist to be part of a trendy group.

And yes the thought that I will probably never see any of the people I love after I die does make me sad. And I'll be sad that I wont get to see what happens to mankind, earth, and the discoveries made about the Universe. It doesn't make me terribly sad at this point in my life, but it will stink sure.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

OK folks, this is not an attack thread. Some of my favorite RF members are Atheists. Actually, most are. That said, I want to address the Atheist mindset.

Most Atheists I know came from religious families. They could be looked upon as religious pioneers if you will. Not being an Atheist myself, I guess I am wondering about the emotion one would have to experience when you first decide there is no God.

Is it like realizing there is no Santa Claus? I doubt it. When we have that realization we still get gifts and celebrate Christmas.

And I still go to church occasionally. They haven't thrown me out yet... although the priests sometimes give me dirty looks when I don't bow my head with everyone else.

I'm not really sure to respond to your question. I don't think I ever seriously believed in Santa Claus or God.

Actually, I guess that's the answer to your question: it was pretty much the same for me. I never really latched on to either idea particularily firmly, though I was always aware of the concepts and knew that other people took them seriously.

Are there true Atheists out there, or are some Atheists just closet Christians who want to look trendy and cool but would pray if their plane was crashing?

Frankly, I've never understood that mindset. I don't think it would make sense to me to pray in a life-threatening situation.

I think I've mentioned it before, but in the very few life-threatening situations I've been in, my main thoughts were things like "run!", "hold on!", or "after the crash, don't forget to undo your seatbelt or you won't be able to get out". I don't think it would've even occurred to me to stop and pray or think about theology.

The Atheists who would not pray in this instance, these are the folks I want to have a dialog with. The true Atheist if you will. What did it feel like when you realized there was no god? As you are aging, how does it feel to believe that when you die, it is all over? Does that make you sad?

I don't know... I kinda just accept it as reality, so it doesn't make me any sadder than the fact I can't fly.

Edit - I heard an interesting line once about this (though I realize this probably won't work for Mormons or a few other religions): do you feel sad about the fact that you didn't exist before you were born? If not, why would you feel sad about the fact that you won't exist after you die?

I have been thinking a lot more lately about what atheism means to me, though, and a few things have occurred to me.

I've believed for a while now that the only "afterlife" we get is the legacy we leave behind, both in terms of the lives we've touched and the memory that's carried on by others. However, lately, I've been putting a deliberate effort into two things that flow from this: being a custodian of the legacy of people who have come before us, especially my family; and thinking more about what sort of legacy I want to leave behind myself, and trying to make it happen.

I've also never believed that any gods or angels are going to swoop down in some sort of Second Coming and make everything okay, but lately I've come to appreciate that this means that if I don't like something I see in the world, I only have two options:

- leave it (and hope that someone else will fix it, but realize that they might not).
- do something about it myself.

I guess the best way I could sum all this up is that for me, personal responsibility is a big part of atheism... my sort of atheism, anyhow.

 

[Reverend Rick]

I'm really happy about how this thread has turned out. Thank you everyone for sharing.

As a child, I remember asking if there really was a Santa Claus. My Mother realized I was older and the truth should be told. She told me there was no Santa. My next question was if there really was a God?