before i was a christian but then i felt like god doesn't care about me and basically i came to the belief that god has his own plan/agenda and doesn't really care about me or my happiness.

I have borderline personality disorder and severe depression which has rendered me on disability, i'm trying to go back to college and get a job but i can hardly stay stable for more than a couple days...but now as an atheist i feel kinda worse. before i felt like "okay, god put me on this earth to help people and he has a plan for my life" but now i feel like "i'm just here by chance, and nothing i do really matters so i might as well kill myself."

so as an atheist waht should i believe about as far as "why im here" and "purpose in life"? do any of you people have clinical depression? what do u tell urself? my life feels meaningless, pointless and boring...i had a suicide attempt which rendered me the worst pain i ever felt so im too scared to try again, so idk what to do each day feels like hell and i wanted to before die and go to heaven but now i just wanna die and stop existing.

So when you were a christian, did you scream at the animals "What do you have to live for! There is no heaven for you! Just go and die already!?" Probably not.

What kind of answer would satisfy your angst? Would it really comfort you to believe that you are the slave of some powerful slavemaster? Is having the freedom to find your own meaning that scary for you? Most atheists I've heard from relish in their freedom from theistic mental tyranny.

(October 20, 2013 at 10:55 am)Brakeman Wrote: So when you were a christian, did you scream at the animals "What do you have to live for! There is no heaven for you! Just go and die already!?" Probably not.

What kind of answer would satisfy your angst? Would it really comfort you to believe that you are the slave of some powerful slavemaster? Is having the freedom to find your own meaning that scary for you? Most atheists I've heard from relish in their freedom from theistic mental tyranny.

i guess i was kinda unorthodox cuz i believed animals also went to heaven, and that they were doing there part in making the world beautiful by existing and being part of nature.

what are some examples of meaning of life? what are some of y'alls meaning in life?

It seems to me that if your purpose in life before your deconversion was to get into Heaven, that life was truly meaningless -- as if you were devaluing your real life on Earth by setting your sights on an afterlife for which you had no real evidence.

But, if, as a Christian, you thought one of your purposes on Earth was to help people, what's preventing you from doing that as an atheist?

We all make our own purposes in life. It's nice to live your life without fear of some nasty deities messing it up. That is one reason many (maybe most) atheists who were former Christians enjoy their new life more than the previous existence of being slaves to a fiction.

(October 20, 2013 at 11:04 am)Thackerie Wrote: It seems to me that if your purpose in life before your deconversion was to get into Heaven, that life was truly meaningless -- as if you were devaluing your real life on Earth by setting your sights on an afterlife for which you had no real evidence.

But, if, as a Christian, you thought one of your purposes on Earth was to help people, what's preventing you from doing that as an atheist?

We all make our own purposes in life. It's nice to live your life without fear of some nasty deities messing it up. That is one reason many (maybe most) atheists who were former Christians enjoy their new life more than the previous existence of being slaves to a fiction.

cool, yeah its probably my mental illnes and depression cuz i just hate my life and was hoping things would be better for me in heaven, but now i just wanna stop existing all together.

For me, as an atheist, I see this life as an adventure. I will have eternity to not exist...but I am one of the -very- rare few who gets to experience existence! Also on top of that I get to be human, one of the most amazing animals of all! How fantastic and lucky am I? I get this treasure to be for my brief time on this planet and unlike most animals, I get decide my reason for being here.


My mother once said to me when I was in a very similar place that you are "If you were gone due to sadness and stress today, imagine what possibly amazing things you could miss tomorrow!" She was right damnit, If I had exited when I wanted to a few years ago I would have missed all the amazing things and people I have in my life now. (and they would have had the terrible misfortune of not knowing me, that would have been a -terrible- shame for them )

So whenever I'm feeling down I try to remind myself "Imagine what could be tomorrow"

As for "what is my purpose?" You are so lucky as an atheist to decide that it's whatever you love, or enjoy, or are passionate about. If you haven't found that thing yet, then keep looking. It could arrive tomorrow.

Sorry for my rambling.

We can take that as a point proven. Not that you should just believe in God because it feels good but because it's rational, reasonable and true.


BUT if you really want to insist on this atheism/materialism business try this.


http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81...L1500_.jpg

(October 20, 2013 at 11:23 am)Sword of Christ Wrote:



We can take that as a point proven. Not that you should just believe in God because it feels good but because it's rational, reasonable and true.


BUT if you really want to insist on this atheism/materialism business try this.


http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81...L1500_.jpg

You're a horse's ass.

I didn`t really count how many people came here, claimed to be atheist and then argued that they were depressed and lonely and whatever.

When Vincent Vinny registered he claimed to be atheist and advocated social darwinism and there was even one who claimed to be atheist and advocated racism.

Doesnt`matter, my point for the OP is, this game has been played so many countless times on this forum that everyone knows all the tricks.

If you have some weird delusion that by claiming to be atheist you can somehow convert everyone to your religion I may tell you from the start: It will not work.

no im not trying to convert anyone, the fact that christianity wasnt helping me is the reason i'm here anyways.

was mostly trying to find meaning in life without religion, and purpose, and what makes people happy.