What is being an Atheist like?

[MentalGiant]

1.) Why are you an atheist?

Because I had enough bad things happen to me in childhood (all whilst being a 'good' Catholic girl who prayed very hard for God to stop these things from happening), I came to realization either God is a sadist or simply doesn't exist. As I got older, I learned more about science. That removed all doubt. I don't 100% discredit the concept of a higher power, but I've seen absolutely no LEGITIMATE evidence of one. I have seen plenty of evidence supporting scientific theories that contradicts the religious perception of a higher power though.

2.) What is life like for an atheist?

Ummmm.... Good??? You don't suddenly become an amoral psychopath if you don't believe in god. I try very hard to be a good person because it benefits myself and society. I don't need the fear of hell or god's wrath to be kind to others and to not lie, cheat and kill. I'm married and I'm a housewife (but I chose that for myself, it wasn't automatically expected of me as it is of religious women).

3.) There is no God. How do you cope with that? How do you find purpose and meaning in your life?

I don't think life has meaning or purpose per se (beyond perhaps the biological drive to pass on your DNA, but not every human even posses that).  I exist strictly due to random happenstance, and I enjoy what I'm fortunate enough to be able to perceive (the physical world). I love learning new things, both new skills and general knowledge. I guess I don't need church and the goal of reaching heaven in my life to have a fulfilling life.  

4.) What are your thoughts on death?

My consciousness will cease, my physical body will go back to the earth and on a long enough time scale, will eventually go back to the stars from which it came. I am a being made of matter, and since matter cannot be created or destroyed, in a way I suppose it is analogous in some ways to eternal life, just not in this physical form and without the continuation of consciousness. The elements that made me came from the stars and one day will go back to the stars.


5.) Has being an atheist changed your life in any way? If so, how?

For me, it wasn't really some "life changing" thing. I already knew deep down from a very young age the whole church/praying/saying my rosary was an act. Total bullshit done for show. Atheism is simply continuing forward in life without the guilt religion put upon me. I guess the biggest change was being able to decide things FOR MYSELF without the shadow of the bible and church doctrine cast over every life decision. I realized I needed to help myself, not wait on the mythical sky being to help me. Also, had I been in church on a Sunday morning in May like a good little Catholic girl should have been, I would have never met my husband. Not having the burden of religion has freed up my life to do what I know to be right for me, which does not always align with right in the eyes of the judeo-christian "god".