What was it like being an atheist?

[thesummerqueen]

"Beauty is truth, truth beauty," - that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.
- John Keats, Ode to a Grecian Urn



But seriously, being that beauty is subjective, it's all self-gratification.

[Nine]

What is beauty? How do you distinguish beauty from carnal self gratification?

Beauty is the one where I don't have my nob out. I don't really plan on being serious with you. Its not worth it. I shouldn't have to define beauty for you.

[Joel]

Atheism is pain and frusteration and emptiness

Maybe it was to you, but as I've already told you; it isn't to me.

[thesummerqueen]

Atheism is pain and frusteration and emptiness

HAHAHAHAHAH

Pain? Emptiness?

Dude, we are star stuff. We inhabit a universe filled with things the Christian or Jewish or Islamic bibles can't even begin to fathom. Humanity stands on a cliff edge and we're slowly but surely building wings with which to fly.

You feel pain because you are alive. How lucky are you because of that? You see emptiness because you won't open your eyes to the amazing life around you.

[Mystic]

Why is carnal self gratification inherently bad? Cause it isn't... Not all the time anyway. Anything can be abused religion, TV, drugs, food. Doesn't make them bad, only when you indulge in something to the point of excluding everything else does it become bad, IMO.

One of the things the famous mystic Ibn Arabi was attacked on, is that he said God is best known through sex. What he meant though, is that it manifested our desire for intimacy with the divine beauty the most.

But he also said, that even though, people don't know this, they are worshipping the divine when attracted to pleasure (cause God is ultimate pleasure) and beauty (because God is ultimate beauty).

I kind of like his perspective in that, everyone worships God no matter how much they try to avoid, because everywhere you turn, you are turning towards the face of God.

Even Satan did what he did for pride and honor, and that was worshipping ultimate honor and pride, however misguided he was.

[Tonus]

I enjoyed life when I was a believer just as much as I do now. I've always been a happy person. I didn't drift away from religion because I felt bad or sought something better or anything like that. I drifted from it, realized that I didn't believe, and continued to be the happy person I've always been. I feel a bit more free and that makes me a bit happier still, but that's about it.

It might not be an issue with being a theist or not. It might be an issue with being batshit insane or not. Can't say-- never been miserable.

[festive1]

Mystic, I'd kudos your post if the term god were replaced with "the devine." I think anytime we appreciate life we are giving nature, the devine, whatever, a nod. I just don't like calling it god.

[Mystic]

Mystic, I'd kudos your post if the term god were replaced with "the devine." I think anytime we appreciate life we are giving nature, the devine, whatever, a nod. I just don't like calling it god.

Well I don't believe in divinity/God, just Creator. I just like the view point that if God does exist, we are all worshiping him regardless of how astray or carnal we are.

[festive1]

And if god is worth his title, he knows that, and we're all good

[thesummerqueen]

And if god is worth his title, he knows that, and we're all good

Which is why I don't understand the need to "protect" god from many theists.