Atheism is very, VERY hard.

[Clueless Morgan]

I can't deal with the fact that I'm just going to die.

Everyone is going to die. The question is what happens after you die? Something? Nothing? In either case all you can do is live the best life you can live and let the chips fall where they may. If there is a heaven and you lived a good life, you'll get in. If there is a heaven and you lived a good life but don't get in then the arbiter of that heaven isn't worth spending your eternity with. If you lived a good life and there is no heaven than you lived a good life and there's nothing to regret about that.

I can't deal with the fact that when I'm on my own, I'm truly alone and nobody will be watching me from above.

Even though there is no super dude looking out for you just remember that you have something so much more powerful and worthwhile: family and friends that love you.

And now you have your AF family.

Without religion, where's the moral code?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjbdWGre370

What if this god dude is real? I'll be in hell. Hell is scary.

Like others have said, fear is a powerful motivator for believing in things that aren't true. Just remember that there is as much evidence for the existence of hell as there is for the existence of Mordor: a book. Nothing more.

I want to debunk the myth that all atheist are depressed because they're lonley and will just turn to dust when they die.

You only turn to dust if you're cremated. Otherwise this is what happens (assuming you're not embalmed):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW7PlTaawfQ

I will spend my life, for better or worse, taking from plants and other animals in order to sustain my life, and when I die I get to give myself back to them so that they can sustain their lives. What could be more glorious and more fitting than that?

Sorry this is really long, thank you.

nort: Go find my introduction. :p

And

[KichigaiNeko]

[Faith No More]

Atheism isn't hard. Life is hard, which is why people dream up god's that are watching over their shoulder and that have a reason for the difficulty and suffering that comes with life. For me, it merely comes down to what is true, not what makes things easier.

If you find yourself struggling with the concept of hell, I suggest familiarizing yourself with the arguments for its existence. It won't take long to realize that it's just a fairy tale is no more a cause for concern than vampires or zombies.

[Ryantology]

Hello I'm new here. I didn't know how to introduce myself but ya.
Well, I'm an atheist, a teen atheist from a christian home and its become super hard. I can't deal with the fact that I'm just going to die. I can't deal with the fact that when I'm on my own, I'm truly alone and nobody will be watching me from above. Without religion, where's the moral code?
What if this god dude is real? I'll be in hell. Hell is scary.
I guess I've joined to see people who share the same beleif that Religion/God is NOT the only way to peace, happiness, life fulfillment etc. I want to debunk the myth that all atheist are depressed because they're lonley and will just turn to dust when they die. Sorry this is really long, thank you.

You're afraid. Once you understand that they want you to be afraid, you'll understand that it's all a stupid farce and it won't bother you anymore. I've been there, and I'm sure quite a few of the others have been, too.

[Bob Kelso]

Welcome friend! Fear and "what if" questions are a natural response to escaping indoctrination. I'm sure those of us who used to be religious have experienced much of the same fear that you're struggling with, especially about death, I know I certainly have. Things will get easier in time, and you'll find that the "what if's" will pass and so too will the other fears.

Atheism is not easy, harsh truths in the face of comforting lies never are.

[LittleAFish]

Oh thank you for the welcome everyone! :o Its great to see others who don't buy into religion. Thanks for all the help ^.^

[Kayenneh]

Hey there little fishy and welcome to AF! ^_^

Atheism itself is really as simple as it comes, don't believe in any deities, but I agree that on the larger scale of things (especially when confronted by offended religious people) can indeed be scary. But as so many here, who have been religious and realized their mistake, you'll see that life doesn't really change at all when facing one's atheism. The world doesn't suddenly turn grey, freshly baked cinnamon buns taste just as heavenly and jumping from a five meter cliff still makes that wonderful tickling sensation in the pit of your stomach. Dying is still scary, but death isn't.

[Tonus]

I can't deal with the fact that I'm just going to die.

Sure you can. You just go about living your life. I've met lots of people who are religious, but few who actually put off living life even though they believe that their current life is just a very brief interlude on the way to something better. Humans actually have a pretty poor ability to understand the concept of a future; we live in the present, in more ways than just the obvious.

This doesn't mean that we shouldn't worry about the future. It just means that we shouldn't extend that worry to what happens after we die. Once you embrace living, you become less worried about what happens when you're finished. Once you control that fear, it gets easier to enjoy the time you have. Remember, everyone has a certain amount of time here, and you're one of the relative few who recognize that it ends at some point. Live life, enjoy life, make the most of what's there.

And remember to roll your eyes and laugh whenever someone presumes that the previous paragraph is "nihilism." And welcome to the forums.

[Mr. Moncrieff]

Oh thank you for the welcome everyone! :o Its great to see others who don't buy into religion. Thanks for all the help ^.^

I bought it for long enough. So much so that I had paid for it in installments, purchased the t-shirt, collected all the merchandise and pre-ordered the new edition.

I invested an awful amount into my faith - or more accurately, into the church. I find that ludicrous now; even abhorrent.

It pains me to consider how substantial a time I lived in fear, guilt and servitude.

I have never felt more alive, more whole and more focused. It is deeply invigorating and enriching.

[Mudhammam]

Death is indeed a terrifying concept sometimes. It's especially hard when you lose someone close to you. But death is ALL around us, from the smallest micro-organisms to the stars that create all this. Death is as natural as life. I don't mean to promote myself here, but I recently wrote a novel that deals with an atheist facing death without the phony comforts of faith. If you have the time, read it, it was therapeutic for me to write, and I hope somewhat therapeutic for those like yourself to read. https://app.box.com/s/0jx3bk110fzmf0blmuj1