Is atheism a liberating and good experience?

[Mister Agenda]

Nevertheless, one thing Dawkins mentions is receiving messages from people thanking him for liberating them. Indeed, it baffles me how he sees atheism as a good thing for somebody who had faith to discover.

I am an atheist because it is the most harsh and universal truth I've found, not because it is a good or liberating experience. Indeed, my most euphoric and liberating experience came from believing in karma and Buddhist philosophy utilising things like meditation and lucid dreams (around the age of 15-17).

No one becomes an atheist in search of a good or liberating experience. Nonetheless, many people find becoming an atheist to be a good or liberating experience. There's no contradiction to be found here.

Even up to around the age of 10 I was raised Christian and happy that I had a higher power in stages 1-2 of Dawkins' scale. As I am now nearing stage 7, quite frankly I can't sleep at night, I don't eat properly, I don't exercise enough any more, I have panic attacks, pains in my neck, migraines, flashing vision etc. and I have little self-esteem or genuine feeling of empathy or compassion for others.

I was a Christian up to about 16, and a theist up to about 35. When I realized that at some point I had stopped believing in God altogether, the easement of my cognitive dissonance was pleasant and liberating. I don't see how either of our anecdotes carries more water than that different people can experience similar things differently, and our experiences are our own, neither good nor bad just because someone elee had a different one. I'm sorry you're experiencing mental problems, and since my empathy is entirely unimpaired, I hope you pull through and find a modicum of balance and happiness in your life.

Honestly the main thoughts that go through my head now are, "if I had a gun, I could blow my head off".

You should immediately seek counseling. Seriously. Talk to someone qualified as soon as you can. I'm worried about you. I don't understand why you feel this way, but please don't do it.

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I agree with Dawkins as a de-facto atheist, but his idea that he is liberating people and providing people a good experience by taking away their faith is ludicrous.

Judging from this thread, that experience is far more common that yours. Dawkins seems to have gotten that impression honestly, from all the people telling him so.

I thought it was fairly obvious trusting in a higher power gives you a higher self-esteem. The euphoria I have felt from spirituality is something I haven't been able to get close to through-out my 8 years of agnostic-atheism.

There is no conflict between being an atheist and practicing spirituality unless you take it narrowly as interacting with supernatural entitites. Atheism is an opinion on a single topic, it won't get you any more by itself than theism will by itself.

Yeah you are getting there. I wouldn't say I want to pick up organised religion again, but certainly some vague parts of Buddhist philosophy have stopped me from wanting to blow my head off in the past. I just need a fix of some description, normal life is incredibly boring to experience.

Many atheists are 'bare-bones' Buddhists who practice meditation and contemplation without buying into reincarnation or spiritual entities. If it helps you, go for it.

Well yeah... I mean some of the concepts that areas of Buddhist philosophy refer to are beautiful ways to think of the universe, at least metaphorically. But I always felt it had a grasp on physical ideas too; cause and effect. Indeed, I saw no reason for areas of Buddhist philosophy and science to co-exist in the past. The Dalai Lama has a great belief and control of his mind, without the need of drugs.

There's nothing wrong with metaphor, as long as you understand that it's metaphor. You don't need to cut yourself off from the parts of Buddhism that make sense to you. Be a Buddhist, it's fine.