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RE: New atheist here, gotta say, not loving it
November 4, 2017 at 8:43 am
(November 4, 2017 at 7:30 am)Cyberman Wrote: Interesting though, how it's the poor confused atheists who are offering encouragement to a soul in need, and the purported xtian saying that life is worthless without a pet god.
god can be a cure all (cure some?) for some people otherwise the concept wouldn't exist. Claiming that it is the cure for all and condemning those who reject the cure is the problem.
If the OP and others need a god to give meaning and fulfillment to their life, go for it. I don't understand the need, it feels like a mental crutch to me. And gave neither meaning nor fulfillment to my life. Maybe a source of comedy? Gods tooth (odontal77) false superiority makes me smirk.
Depression? Maybe, but that might be jumping the gun. (damn NRA)
Being told you're delusional does not necessarily mean you're mental.
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RE: New atheist here, gotta say, not loving it
November 4, 2017 at 11:07 am
(November 4, 2017 at 8:43 am)mh.brewer Wrote: (November 4, 2017 at 7:30 am)Cyberman Wrote: Interesting though, how it's the poor confused atheists who are offering encouragement to a soul in need, and the purported xtian saying that life is worthless without a pet god.
god can be a cure all (cure some?) for some people otherwise the concept wouldn't exist. Claiming that it is the cure for all and condemning those who reject the cure is the problem.
If the OP and others need a god to give meaning and fulfillment to their life, go for it. I don't understand the need, it feels like a mental crutch to me. And gave neither meaning nor fulfillment to my life. Maybe a source of comedy? Gods tooth (odontal77) false superiority makes me smirk.
Depression? Maybe, but that might be jumping the gun. (damn NRA)
It just rubs me the wrong way having theists advertising cure, salvation and forgiveness that aren't theirs to give in the first place. I don't think people should be encouraged to seek help among people who draw authority from their own vivid imagination L. Ron Hubbard style and to exchange their personal issues with sandcastles and fantasies. In the long run I think it causes more harm than good and people should be encouraged and supported to work out their issues.
"History is something that very few people have been doing while everyone else was ploughing fields and carrying water buckets." -Yuval Noah Harari
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RE: New atheist here, gotta say, not loving it
November 4, 2017 at 1:05 pm
(November 4, 2017 at 11:07 am)c152 Wrote: It just rubs me the wrong way having theists advertising cure, salvation and forgiveness that aren't theirs to give in the first place. I don't think people should be encouraged to seek help among people who draw authority from their own vivid imagination L. Ron Hubbard style and to exchange their personal issues with sandcastles and fantasies. In the long run I think it causes more harm than good and people should be encouraged and supported to work out their issues.
That is part of religions cult behavior.
Being told you're delusional does not necessarily mean you're mental.
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RE: New atheist here, gotta say, not loving it
November 4, 2017 at 1:47 pm
(November 3, 2017 at 11:41 pm)Rayden_Greywolf Wrote: (November 3, 2017 at 11:34 pm)Tizheruk Wrote: The definitely depression . Crippling depression by the description. That is indeed not a subject an atheist forum is equipt for.
You're right, I'm sorry. This isn't appropriate here. I'll leave.
No need to leave. If you'd like to talk about your depression, plenty of us have experience with that. We feel for you. It's just the coupling of that to atheism which seems pointless. Though I can appreciate from the point of view of being depressed there is a feeling of desperation. If belief in god holds out any hope for you at all I can understand how you might find yourself ruminating on it. Good luck to you.
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RE: New atheist here, gotta say, not loving it
November 4, 2017 at 1:51 pm
(November 4, 2017 at 1:05 pm)mh.brewer Wrote: (November 4, 2017 at 11:07 am)c152 Wrote: It just rubs me the wrong way having theists advertising cure, salvation and forgiveness that aren't theirs to give in the first place. I don't think people should be encouraged to seek help among people who draw authority from their own vivid imagination L. Ron Hubbard style and to exchange their personal issues with sandcastles and fantasies. In the long run I think it causes more harm than good and people should be encouraged and supported to work out their issues.
That is part of religions cult behavior.
Get 'em while they're weak.
"History is something that very few people have been doing while everyone else was ploughing fields and carrying water buckets." -Yuval Noah Harari
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RE: New atheist here, gotta say, not loving it
November 4, 2017 at 2:03 pm
(November 4, 2017 at 5:41 am)Odoital77 Wrote: (November 4, 2017 at 5:33 am)Cod Wrote: So all that's stopping you from pressing the self destruct button is your faith? Sounds to me like you have serious issues, I mean, you are admitting that without your imaginary friend you couldn't lead a honest decent life.
Millions of people worldwide live Godless lives with no consequence to either themselves or the societies in which they live, think about the other side of the coin.
No, as I said earlier. "On atheism there is no grounds for having hope.
Apparently under xtianity there is no room for having empathy for any point of view besides your own, no capacity for imagining the inner humanity of anyone lacking your core beliefs. That is why you fail.
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RE: New atheist here, gotta say, not loving it
November 4, 2017 at 3:04 pm
(This post was last modified: November 4, 2017 at 3:11 pm by Amarok.)
Quote:If you don't like or want honest responses to questions and comments, then shut down the forum. Simply because I can relate to his feelings and would likely myself suffer from taking a destructive path, were I an atheist, doesn't mean that I want or am suggesting he do the same. Quite the contrary. But like I said, if honesty isn't desired or valued, then I suggest dropping the pretense that the world "forum" really has any meaning or that anything is being accomplished here.
Too bad your comments were neither honest nor helpful . Just biased apologetic preaching by a propagandist looking to prey on the confused .
Quote:"On atheism there is no grounds for having hope.
Yes i'm sure that's a lovely selling point for your cult
Seek strength, not to be greater than my brother, but to fight my greatest enemy -- myself.
Inuit Proverb
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RE: New atheist here, gotta say, not loving it
November 4, 2017 at 3:09 pm
What's to be frightened of? When I was an atheist it felt like a burden had been lifted...initially at least.
<insert profound quote here>
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RE: New atheist here, gotta say, not loving it
November 4, 2017 at 3:12 pm
Your not helping either PoeWooter
Seek strength, not to be greater than my brother, but to fight my greatest enemy -- myself.
Inuit Proverb
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RE: New atheist here, gotta say, not loving it
November 4, 2017 at 3:39 pm
(This post was last modified: November 4, 2017 at 3:43 pm by mordant.)
(November 3, 2017 at 10:11 am)Aroura Wrote: This forum really is filled with a lot of insensitive assholes. Come on guys, someone's suffering and your advice is, stop suffering? Buck up. Get over yourself?
Not all, but there are a lot of outright mean responses here. While I'm provisionally assuming the OP's post was honest, I'm always hedging a bit because it could just be a troll looking to see what sort of rise he can get out of people, or, in the alternative, a Christian poking the nest to see if his arguments will hold up. In other words I have so often encountered believers who think atheism necessarily has anything to do with nihilistic existential dread, that I will not be surprised if that's the case here.
That said, OP, if I have you wrong, my apologies in advance. I have met plenty of deconverts who go through an initially tough time deprogramming themselves and if that's really your situation I'm ready to empathize with you like crazy. Just engage honestly a bit with your own thread and we're good.
(November 3, 2017 at 10:37 pm)Rayden_Greywolf Wrote: Thank you for the responses, guys.
What changed was that I lost what little hope I had. The hope that there was a reason for suffering in the world, that there was some transcendent goodness to the universe.
Sure, I have hobbies and family and friends and all that, but they're just conditional, material....things.
Like...I don't know, I feel that I don't have a reason to do anything now. I'm just an animal with animal fears and desires and there's else to it. Ah, THERE you are.
You're welcome.
So is it fair to say you never found existence ... for lack of a better word ... compelling, and religion held out the hope of better things just around the corner?
If so, we're more or less in the same wheelhouse, in terms of personality and mental constitution, and I'm happy to discuss further.
(November 3, 2017 at 11:13 pm)Rayden_Greywolf Wrote: I should mention I never really "truly" believed. I grew up in a Christian household, but when I was able to start thinking for myself, I eventually realized I had no reason to believe in it. I never had faith in anything. Well I had faith in stuff and "really truly believed". It was no help. So no harm, no foul in that regard.
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