The upside of atheism (page 10)

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> I was just more or less curious as to what is it about atheism that people find comforting. So many people say that atheism "set them free" in a sense. I'm just trying to understand why that is. It seems so cold to me. I'm just hoping that it's not true.

This is because you do not understand atheism.

You may have already heard this before, but a classic phrase used by atheists is: There are thousands of gods that different people claim to exist. You claim all but on god does not exist. The only difference between you and me is I have eliminated that one last god.

Look at it in that context and you will understand what is mean by people saying they are "free" and why atheism is not "cold". It is just scratching that one last god off the list. Nothing more... nothing less.

You are just one god away from being an atheist.

Hittman

Bacon. Tasty tasty bacon.

Twitch

What seems cold to me is a loving god who lets his children, some of whom are literal and innocent as babes are, suffer and die to prove his point with Satan and make us prove to him that we are worthy of his love and honor his will. God died long before Aushwitz.

paul from cleveland

This is because you do not understand atheism.

Exactly!

I'm not asking about the validity of theism or atheism. Let me put it another way. Let's say you're right. There is no God. No one really loves me because love is just a "a neuro-chemical part of our survival mechanism". There is really nothing to look forward to except old age then eternal death. No hope of anything more. Basically "Life sucks and then you die". How am I supposed to feel good about that? Is it supposed to bring me peace because it's "true"? It might also be true that I have an inoperable brain tumor but knowing that truth doesn't make me happy. I'm just saying that I don't get it. If it's true how are we supposed to feel happy about it? What perspective can I have about it that can bring me peace?

Twitch

What perspective can I have about it that can bring me peace?

That whatever you do and whomever you touch in this life meant something at a place in time and that is truly unique. Revel in that moment; there will not be another.

Even the stars fade and die.

paul from cleveland

Also, the only thing that I enjoy about life is connection. Those brief moments when I feel connected to someone that cares about me and that I care about. Also those moments that when I contemplate that there may really be a God that loves us and has something better in store than this torture I experience now. If it's all not true, if love doesn't exist and is just a "neuro-chemical part of our survival mechanism" what's the point of living? Why not just die now? I don't understand.

Twitch

Reminds me of a quote from St Elmo's Fire, if I recall correctly.

"Love's an illusion"

"It's the only illusion that counts"

Really, what isn't an illusion? What do you know with absolute certainty?

flipper

PAUL - Love DOES exist. That is a fact. Every human has the capability to love . We have family, friends, or our wives or girlfriends . Life is a journey and we need to stop and smell the roses along the way and see the beautiful colors along the way and realize, yes, there will be negatives as well - but it's ALL part of the experience we call life. The good and the bad. If we try to stay positive and emphasize the good and things that bring us happiness living in the here and now - we will be so busy taking care of now that we won't freak out so much about the future.

As Jehovah's Witnesses all we were taught to do was be " alien residents " and " foreigners " in this world. We were taught to ONLY live for the future paradise and to not TRY to be happy now- we were falsely promised that " there would be plenty of time to be fully happy in the new system". But since the alleged " new system " is a fantasy, an unreality - some of us on the board here enjoy, actually prefer to live life with our eyes wide open enjoying what's right here, right now. Because the truth is if we don't value life right now - 60, 70, 80 years from now it may be too late. We'll all be dead - THEN what will Jeovah's Witnesses think ? Will they think they wasted their lives on a dream ? They're deluded, I doubt it. But WE don't have to waste our lives is what I'm saying. Whether we believe in a God or not

Nathan Natas

Paul, you say you feel free to disregard arguments about Santa Claus or Pink Unicorns because you think they're silly.

OK.

Allah.

Is that silly too? Do you believe in Allah, or are you an infidel like me?

Ahura-Mazda, the god of the Zoroastrians. These Persian people were among the "pagan" religions that Islam tried to wipe out. Freddy Mercury of QUEEN was born a Zoroastrian. Zoroastrians do not seek converts.

Is Zoroastrianism silly? It was a major religion before Islam was invented by Muhammad. The Egyptians probably got the idea of the winged disc from the Zoroastrians.

The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints (Mormons).

You DO believe in the angel Moroni, don't you? and the golden tablets? ...and that after Jesus left Israel for the last time, he visited North America and spent time among the Indians? That's not silly too, is it?

Last-Thursday-ism.

The entire cosmos was created last Thursday, and all your memories are an illusion. Do you think that is silly?

One man's silly is another man's free ride through life (if he's a priest).

paul from cleveland

Nathan, Like I said in my last few posts, let's just say you're right. What makes you happy about it? Why does it make you happy to believe that nobody loves you and all that awaits you is a cold dark grave? Like I said, I'm not asking about the validity of the position, I'm asking how you live with knowing this "truth". If I believed that, I would just want to die now and get it over with. Like I said in the first post: "what's the upside of atheism?"

The upside of atheism

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