So far...

[FreeTony]

Jacob,

Brave new world - if you haven't read it, do - if you have - read it again.

It seems to be exactly what you are pining for. Personally I prefer freedom, but if you like being a Delta....

I love Brave New World.

I now think of stupid people in terms of how much they were chemically interfered with in their birthing tube.

[CapnAwesome]

I think you might be trying your hand at sarcasm or humor, but in all seriousness, I am exactly what the world needs. Everything about me is awesome and people should try to be more like me.

And so modest too.

I am awesome at being modest, just the same as with everything else.

[ShaMan]

Plus Atheist girls are awesome.

(partial quote)

Code words for they're dirty

[Whateverist]

no "master plan" ... really? You know more than anybody I know.

What evidence do use to make such a claim?

^My thoughts exactly.^

Such a drag when born again fundamentalists become atheists but never get an attitude reset.

[pocaracas]

Atheism sucks big hairy balls. Sorry, but it does. Personal view only you understand.

Been a few months now and so far I got zero payoff. Squat. Diddly.

Thou had been warned!

I preferred my comfortable lie to this ugly truth, but having unplugged, I now can't plug myself back in or unthink what I thought.

Who does that remind me of?....

I can't even have fun debating with christians because I would not want them to lose what I lost!

That's your right. Debate muslims, then! Start with your pal, Rayaan!

I think I'm going through the kuber Ross model for Yahweh and I'm stuck on anger.

You hopped over the first step, there, cowboy!

[Losty]

I guess I miss the sense of security which comes from believing there is a Plan. Praying for me was a bit like fight club. When it was over, nothing was resolved, but the problems seemed smaller.

Somebody else mentioned false comfort. I'm not sure what that is! Comfort is just, comfortable.

I know what you mean. I don't struggle with it as much because I had all but given up on prayer long before I stopped believing. But I remember back when I could give my burdens to god, and that was really nice. I don't think it was a false comfort. We were taught from a young age that we could feel safe in this method, so we truly believed that everything was better after prayer. Maybe the problem wasn't solved but you knew it'd be okay. I guess the only comfort now is that you can proactively fix your own problems and know they'll actually be solved. Not quite as comforting in the midst of the problem, but more rewarding when you can take the credit for fixing it in the end

[Clueless Morgan]

I guess I miss the sense of security which comes from believing there is a Plan. Praying for me was a bit like fight club. When it was over, nothing was resolved, but the problems seemed smaller.

If prayer was a coping mechanism you used to make your problems seem more manageable (by making them seem smaller), it sounds like you need to find a new coping mechanism.

I don't know that I have any good suggestions, but when I'm faced with a big problem, or something that seems huge and insurmountable, I make lists and other visual aids to make the problem seem smaller by breaking it into component parts that are all a manageable size or are less daunting. The list itself can be intimidating (depending on how it's set up), but once things start getting crossed off I get a feeling of accomplishment and my confidence in getting the whole list completed goes up.

You might not be a list guy, you might be a meditation guy (if prayer worked for you, meditation might be a good alternative), or an exercise guy, or some other mechanism, but find the one that best suits you, or try out a couple.

I guess the only comfort now is that you can proactively fix your own problems and know they'll actually be solved. Not quite as comforting in the midst of the problem, but more rewarding when you can take the credit for fixing it in the end

I don't want to speak for Jacob, but it seems like what he's saying is that he misses the comfort of having "someone else" to share his problems with and that sharing his problems with someone else helped make them feel less overwhelming.

Maybe that's a good place to start looking for a new mechanism, Jabob: talk your problems through, either to yourself or to someone else. Maybe just thinking them through is enough to reduce their magnitude to manageable levels.

[Jacob(smooth)]

[quote='Jacob(smooth)' pid='685323' dateline='1402405927']

You hopped over the first step, there, cowboy!

No I didn't (see what I did there? )

Good advice there otherwise guys.

[Rayaan]

Somebody else mentioned false comfort. I'm not sure what that is!

Not just somebody else, but you yourself first mentioned that - i.e. that you preferred your "comfortable lie" - as you wrote in the original post:

I preferred my comfortable lie to this ugly truth,

"False comfort," "comfortable lie" ... I don't really think there is a difference between them.

[Jacob(smooth)]

Somebody else mentioned false comfort. I'm not sure what that is!

Not just somebody else, but you yourself first mentioned that - i.e. that you preferred your "comfortable lie" - as you wrote in the original post:

I preferred my comfortable lie to this ugly truth,

"False comfort," "comfortable lie" ... I don't really think there is a difference between them.

The premise, God, was a lie. But the comfort it offered was real. Real comfort from an untrue belief.

Make sense?