Atheists ONLY - Are you less happy now that you are an atheist?

[Doubting Thomas]

I am FAR happier after giving up religion than when I was religious. Nothing seemed to make sense when I was religious, things I prayed for never happened, and I hated feeling obligated to go to church every weekend. I felt I didn't get anything out of it when I did go.

Once I realized that there is no all-powerful, omnibenevolent deity running the universe, things made a lot more sense to me and I felt a lot more free and a lot happier.

[Raven]

For anyone who is a Recovering Catholic (no 12 step silliness needed), I don't see how you could NOT feel a whole lot better. Damn, just getting away from those sadistic nuns (primary school) and brothers (High School) made you feel a whole lot better. But you are still stuck feeling all that anxiety. That's one of the things all that programming and guilt-tripping did to me. I felt like crap all the time, because you got programmed to. And because you are just no-damn-good you need Him! I remember there was some line in a song, I think by Paul Simon, about "the church service that makes me nervous". Yeah, he got that right. All those religious tchotchkes spread all over my parents house used to creep me out. Even writing about it right now brings up a nervous feeling.

Well, when I finally got it sussed out that there is probably no sky-daddy after all, and that if there is then he is doing a lousy job, then I started to feel a whole lot better. Liberated would be a good word for it. So yeah, I'm pretty anti-theist. I don't see where it does any good. I'd love to see everybody get over it. That won't happen in my lifetime, but at least it's happening for a goodly number of us.

[Whateverist]

I prefer praying for my local football team on Sunday to praying in church .. and it does just as much good either place. Happy? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Same as before.

[Doubting Thomas]

For anyone who is a Recovering Catholic (no 12 step silliness needed), I don't see how you could NOT feel a whole lot better. Damn, just getting away from those sadistic nuns (primary school) and brothers (High School) made you feel a whole lot better.

Luckily as a Catholic kid I didn't go to Catholic school. My brothers and sisters did, though.

But you are still stuck feeling all that anxiety. That's one of the things all that programming and guilt-tripping did to me. I felt like crap all the time, because you got programmed to.

Yes, because in the religion classes I had they taught that just about everything you do is a sin. No wonder I was so neurotic in my young life.

[Mystical]

a lot of fear and worry disappeared with my beliefs. Nightmares about demons or demon possessed dolls just disappeared alltogether along with constant worry about people I loves' mortality. I lost family to suicide so I was always plagued by a constant sorrow knowing they were in hell, which also disappeared. I also don't obsess about my thoughts anymore or pray for forgiveness for them. I've gained the freedom from my own mental oppression with regards to my bisexual tendencies and am no longer subdued sexually which has made me incredibly happy as a result.
Death is a peaceful prospect for me and I no longer feel an overwhelming sorrow when I think about my families deaths.
I don't think there's angels watching me be indisposed or spirits following me anymore.. The dark isn't so scary to me.

That said a huge weight was put On my shoulders too, and I feel compelled to have an activist attitude towards a lot of plights that are currently overrun by religious precident and oppression. The realization that most people in my state alone think the world's ending is frustrating and I do have residual anger towards the religion itself. Along with those who understand the evils and shortcomings of it yet still choose to overrrun logic to believe and descriminate-- and force their agendas on others.

[Doubting Thomas]

The realization that most people in my state alone think the world's ending is frustrating and I do have residual anger towards the religion itself.

That wouldn't bother me if not for the fact that they keep voting people just like them into office.

[thesummerqueen]

It was less about theism or atheism than it was about embracing skepticism and science more fully.

Oddly enough, having more understanding of the world and how it works makes it a hell of a lot more scary, even if that means understanding that the universe doesn't give a shit about us. That makes me feel both insignificant, and yet special, and it fills me with terrible awe and wonder in a way god never could.

[Fidel_Castronaut]

I've always been an atheist so I can't really say. I wouldn't think my lack of belief in a god or gods inherently affects my happiness though.

[xpastor]

I'm happier. More relaxed.

Yes, I remember a few times long ago when I was having fun in a Christian group belting out some favorite hymns and that sort of thing.

However, the deeper I got into it the more cognitive dissonance built up, and by that time I was a pastor. It was very difficult to get out. It was my fucking livelihood after all. However, I could not stand the thought of spending 2 or 3 more decades pretending enthusiasm about something I no longer believed.

I remember when I was out and I definitively stopped believing that I had a feeling of great relief that I would no longer have to do intellectual headstands to deny evolution or to pretend the bible is anything but deeply flawed.

There was a price to pay. There was no great job market for ex-clergy, so with several years of post-secondary education, I had to earn my living by manual labor, at various times construction worker, truck driver, fork lift operator, gasfitter. It was far better than the alternative of staying in the ministry.

Now I'm retired, and I'm OK, thank you very much.

[Doubting Thomas]

Oddly enough, having more understanding of the world and how it works makes it a hell of a lot more scary, even if that means understanding that the universe doesn't give a shit about us.

I think that's why most theists are afraid to give up their god belief, because believing that there's an all-powerful being who created the entire universe just for us and protects us with an invisible security blanket is too important to them to give up. And yet, with or without a god we still die from natural disasters and other calamities every year.

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There was a price to pay. There was no great job market for ex-clergy

Do you think that's why a lot of clergy who lose their faith stay in the job?