Atheism. Only for the strong of character?

[OnlyNatural]

I think it does take some courage, perhaps, to let go of the comforting worldview of religion, where God is love, and everything has a purpose, and you'll be rewarded in the afterlife. But I think facing reality - which can be complex and scary and uncertain - is part of growing up. It's also endlessly interesting.

For me, I also think my atheism was an 'inevitable conclusion,' stemming from life experience and education. I'm not sure about strength of character, or how one would even define such strength... I struggled for most of my life with anxiety and depression, yet now I would consider myself a strong, moral atheist with a great appreciation for life. It's mostly about opening your eyes and embracing the real world. Fairy tales aren't functional.

[Edwardo Piet]

You either believe in God or you don't, whether you're courageous or cowardly or not is irrelevant.

Besides, I, being a massive coward (but not quite so cowardly as to not even tell people about that fact) am evidence to the contrary.

[Ashendant]

I have been accused by various "Believers" of being primitive and heathanistic, and subject to being a slave to physical instincts, because I do not live in the fear of their God and refuse to abide by His strict rules and rituals.

Why do you give a rat's ass what those morons say?

They grovel to a non-existent entity. Fuck 'em, I say.

Indeed.

Speaking personally only,my atheism is not a choice, simply an inevitable conclusion. It is morally neutral as a position,being neither praiseworthy nor worthy of condemnation.

Ash, I'm not sure what you mean by "intellectual" nor what if anything you are implying.

My Concise Oxford Dictionary says:

" Intellectual: 1: Of,appealing to,requiring or given to the exercise of,intellect. 2Person) possessing a good understanding,enlightened (person)"

My perception is the first fits quite a few people here,the second,not so much. I make no comment about any individual.

Maybe you're right intellectual would not fit me because i'm a terrible student(when i need to be a good student), maybe the best definition would be a scholar, or maybe it's just intellectual, whatever
I describe myself as a person that always wants to know more, i'm addicted to knowledge and information of all types, i try to rationalise them and fit into my worldview of how things work and how things should work, there's also the fact that i'm fully aware that i know virtually nothing like a philosopher so i might be that.

No alchohol, no cigars, and no drugs? Because they are dangerous?! Do you drive a car? Plan on getting married ever? Those have even worse stories linked to them you know.

Existing is about calculated risk, in my opinion risk begets reward so risk little and you will have a long dull life. It reminds me of what a boss of mine told me when I told him I didn't like whiskey or cigarettes, "WHAT?! Son, those are the good things in life! You probably don't like eatin' pussy neither!" I didn't dare inform him of my virgin status at the time...

Fuck the moral high ground, live a little, take drugs, make sexy time, stare death in the face, and flip it off. Addiction is overplayed in the media and isn't as big a deal as you think it is.

I'm learning to drive a car but due to my own anxiety, i'm learning very slowly and i get anxious, and i plan to get married sometime in the future.

[KichigaiNeko]

I'm learning to drive a car but due to my own anxiety, i'm learning very slowly and i get anxious, and i plan to get married sometime in the future.

Hang in there buddy...driving a vehicle is a tricky business and you don't want to rush it!!!

And there is a "Miss somebody" you have in mind??

Either way a good scholar/ student ALWAYS asks the most important question...WHY??

Wishing you luck/ good fortune and results from all your efforts.

[Ubermensch]

I'm not of particular strong character although i consider myself a intelectual

I fight my addictions by not taking them in the first place, never drank alcohol, smoked cigars or took drugs, i sweared off any of these things because by experience of others i learned that it ends wrecking lives.

Although i have a addiction, that stems from being a intellectual, a hunger for knowledge that keeps me on the computer for whole days, also chocolate because it's anti-depressive

Drink, smoke and do drugs. You only live once and there is so much to see.

[Zen Badger]

Drink, smoke and do drugs. You only live once and there is so much to see.

And motorbikes, if you want to stare down Death on a regular basis ride motorbikes for a hobby.

Either that or base jumping.

---

If there is a god he'll have put us here to experience ALL aspects of living.

NOT to spend our days grovelling on our knees and kissing his ass.

[thesummerqueen]

And motorbikes, if you want to stare down Death on a regular basis ride motorbikes for a hobby.

A friend of mine took me for a ride on his sport bike last summer. It was so much fun, I forgot I was hungover. I'm a jeep girl, and I like four wheels more or less on the ground (depending on the angle), but hell if it wasn't fun to let someone else do the hard work and just hold on and feel the wind.

[The Skeptic]

I'm not of particular strong character although i consider myself a intelectual

I fight my addictions by not taking them in the first place, never drank alcohol, smoked cigars or took drugs, i sweared off any of these things because by experience of others i learned that it ends wrecking lives.

Although i have a addiction, that stems from being a intellectual, a hunger for knowledge that keeps me on the computer for whole days, also chocolate because it's anti-depressive

Maybe you're right intellectual would not fit me because i'm a terrible student(when i need to be a good student), maybe the best definition would be a scholar, or maybe it's just intellectual, whatever
I describe myself as a person that always wants to know more, i'm addicted to knowledge and information of all types, i try to rationalise them and fit into my worldview of how things work and how things should work, there's also the fact that i'm fully aware that i know virtually nothing like a philosopher so i might be that.

You sound a lot like me. I'm a bookworm, if i'm not reading a book (usually non-fiction), which distracts me from my school work, and i've never done drugs, etc. That's why it's always seemed strange to me when I hear religionists describe atheists as wild partying, drug taking, heathens. They seem to think we're all like Ozzy Osbourne (no disrespect to him, i'm a great fan). Yet in my experience, the religious seem to party hardest because they think they can be forgiven, that this is just this life and not the eternal one, and often don't give a hoot about empirical consequences for the here and now. Which is why a lot of those creationists-conservatives don't give a rats ass about environmental consequences. So let's see :

Atheist: Concerned about the welfare of mankind;humanism
Christian: Concerned about the afterlife. If it can be forgiven, then its fine.
Atheist : Concerned about the planet.
Christian : Earth is just a toy god gave mankind and will restore it when Christ returns.
Atheist: Scientific knowledge is important, as is logical thought.
Christian: Science is "just a bunch of theories", and the bible is right about everything so I won't think about anything.

So yes, based on that, Atheism is for the strong of character and religion is the opium of the masses to keep them dazed and confused.

Disclaimer: I know a great number of Christians and other religious people are not like that ,and i'm speaking from experience in the Bible Belt around Creationist-Republican-Southern Baptists where 9/10 Christians are EXACTLY like what I just described.

[KichigaiNeko]

And motorbikes, if you want to stare down Death on a regular basis ride motorbikes for a hobby.

A friend of mine took me for a ride on his sport bike last summer. It was so much fun, I forgot I was hungover. I'm a jeep girl, and I like four wheels more or less on the ground (depending on the angle), but hell if it wasn't fun to let someone else do the hard work and just hold on and feel the wind.

It is at that SummerQueen . Even better when you get your own handle bars.

Group of us here were thinking of starting up our own Motorcycle church... for the political clout and tax free fringe benefits...still might happen though. Makes more sense than some of the other religious nonsense you hear about...What ever happened to the "Orange People" or the followers of the Maharishi 'whats-is-face'?

[Skipper]

You either believe in God or you don't, whether you're courageous or cowardly or not is irrelevant.

I think a lot of that depends on your surroundings. If you're in an area where being an Atheist is dangerous and seen as a problem with others in your community then there could be plenty of natural reasons you end up thinking you believe in a god, to protect yourself, that perhaps if you were living or raised in another area you may not have believed. I don't know.

It is defiantly for the strong of character to ADMIT they are Atheist in some parts of the world, however, for me, where I live that is not the case, it s a very non-religious and hedonistic city where enjoying yourself and respecting others comes well above pretending we are all part of some big guy in the sky's plans.