So far...

[Jacob(smooth)]

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. 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.

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

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

[archangle]

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. 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. I

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

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

well, when you suck an asshole, your left with a shitty taste. try growing up.

[Esquilax]

Hey dude, welcome back.

The reason there's no payoff is because this isn't something you get a prize for; being reasonable isn't a slot machine or anything, it's just a thing that you do if you respect consistent beliefs. Theism might try to condition people to expect a reward out of their views regarding religion, but the expectation of a non-existent reward shouldn't be rewarding in itself. Sometimes shit is just neutral.

Instead of looking for a payoff from atheism, it'd be more useful to focus on the fact that you now have more time and mental energy to devote to those things that do reward you. You haven't actually lost anything but pretend happiness, but you have gained that.

Plus, you know, intellectual honesty.

[ThePinsir]

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. 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. I

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

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

I find it kind of odd that you expected to get something out of it...

Anyway, my "payoff", if you want to call it that, is a thirst for knowledge that I never really had as a Christian. Since "deconverting" back in January I've read every popular science book I can get my hands on, and I'm in the middle of reading Neitzche now. This almost certainly would've never happened if I'd stayed in that cult.

Secondly, I met a girl who thinks a lot like me. We talk about science and philosophy and religion all the damn time, and I love it. We're dating now, and I probably would have never met her (if I did, I probably wouldn't have liked her very much) if I'd stayed a Christian.

As far as not wanting them to lose what I lost, I used to feel that way. I felt bad about bursting Christians' bubbles, so to speak. Now I don't mind so much - it's hard to do anyway because they usually deny anything you throw at them. Also, now it actually brings the lulz.

Maybe you can read up on existentialism?

Hang in there, chief

[Jacob(smooth)]

Hey dude, welcome back.

The reason there's no payoff is because this isn't something you get a prize for; being reasonable isn't a slot machine or anything, it's just a thing that you do if you respect consistent beliefs. Theism might try to condition people to expect a reward out of their views regarding religion, but the expectation of a non-existent reward shouldn't be rewarding in itself. Sometimes shit is just neutral.

Instead of looking for a payoff from atheism, it'd be more useful to focus on the fact that you now have more time and mental energy to devote to those things that do reward you. You haven't actually lost anything but pretend happiness, but you have gained that.

Plus, you know, intellectual honesty.

Maybe that's why Christianity does so well in spite of the obvious flaws. When you become a Christian you get a whole slew of benefits! And not just the promise either, there was some good shit there! When you stop being one... Well I guess the intellectual honesty thing, but that seems bordering on smug.

---

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. 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. I

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

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

well, when you suck an asshole, your left with a shitty taste. try growing up.

Try capitalising, fucknugget. Also, your comment makes no sense whatsoever. How is deconverting like sucking an asshole?

OK, one benefit. I get to call people fucknugget without feeling shifty.

[Cato]

You should have taken the blue pill.

All kidding aside...
I was quite young when I gave up the ghost so I don't have a good frame of reference to appreciate the benefits you lost. In fact, I think that having been atheist for so long I would have the same sense of loss if I were to convert the other direction. I understand and accept my mortality. I don't necessarily like the idea of such a short existence, but I am more comfortable living a good and productive life without the additional burden of following arbitrary rules in exchange for the unproven promise of heaven. The other aspect of this that would bother me is knowing that the entity with the power to grant such an existence is strangely missing from the contract. Only self anointed experts are involved in the transaction. Seems dubious at best.

[Bob Kelso]

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. 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.

I'm honestly not trying to be a dick here, but what exactly were you expecting to find Jacob? Atheism doesn't have a rewards card mate, and desirability is not a requisite of the truth. Would it be nice if there really was a supreme being looking out for all of us with a party-house in paradise waiting for each of us when we kick the bucket? Sure. Too bad there's no evidence for it.

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

So you'd rather leave the wool pulled over their eyes, nice and comfy in their house of contrived bullshit? Ok, whatever floats your boat, so leave the debating to others. Find something you enjoy to do.

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

I understand that some deconverted Christians experience grief (I myself experienced some small amount of difficulty at first), losing your convictions and expectations of eternity in a paradise in the clouds can do that to a person, but you either get over it and take pleasure in the fact that you're alive or you stay mired in a false sense of loss, because what did you really lose? Lies and bullshit.

[Nine]

Never went through any of this myself but I wish you all the best Jacob. It's really not that bad in the end.

[Elskidor]

I never had it to lose it, so I have no clue what it's like, but I suppose the longer you were a believer the harder it will be to move past it. I always imagined it would be like finding out santa wasn't real, but more difficult because Santa only comes around once a year. It can't last forever, but I've heard that there are people that can hypnotize people and make them forget. Like in the Matrix, but take the blue pill instead of the red one.

[Esquilax]

Maybe that's why Christianity does so well in spite of the obvious flaws. When you become a Christian you get a whole slew of benefits! And not just the promise either, there was some good shit there!

Well, like what? Never having been one, I don't have any experiences to access, here, but off the top of my head I can't really produce any benefit of religion that can't be reproduced through secular means.

When you stop being one... Well I guess the intellectual honesty thing, but that seems bordering on smug.

Hey, it might sound smug, but all you need to do is look at christian apologists tying themselves in knots in order to justify some of this religious stuff to see that it's also true.