Atheism Doen't Equal Depression

[Godscreated]

I said it was those who I see all the time, I bet if I was to go looking I could find a report that shows the opposite and maybe you should do more research on depression, a lot of depression is found to be related to diet, read Building a Mind.

GC

So, in other words, there's something about atheists that makes them follow depression inducing diets?

Maybe it's the bananas. We don't have to believe in Jesus. We just have to go easy on the bananas. All that potassium, perhaps?

You're smarter than that, so why be snide with your remarks. I've never said that atheist have a different diet and did not insinuate they did, I was pointing out that diet can be the cause of depression and if some wanted to read the book they may find out changing there diet might help. Why is it that atheist always believe the worst about Christians, you know that is a biased if not bigoted attitude. I never said I had any support for my belief other than what I observed and everyone here has made a big deal out of it as if I had stated it was fact. I'm tired of everyone's trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill, if stirring up trouble is your form of entertainment then some here need to grow up, I'm finished with this thread.

GC

[Godscreated]

I said it was those who I see all the time, I bet if I was to go looking I could find a report that shows the opposite and maybe you should do more research on depression, a lot of depression is found to be related to diet, read Building a Mind.

GC

Don't patronize me, asshole, and quit backpedaling. You said that based upon what people here post about their depression that you were certain that atheists are more depressed than Christians.  I provided a study that said you were wrong, but your only response is to do more research on depression, all while failing to do your own research to rebut my critique of your claim.  Now, are you going to address that you were wrong?

And don't think I didn't notice that you skipped over my response to your statement that those who have an inherited tendency towards depression don't count.  I love how you just dismiss yourself as a non-applicable statistic, but you don't even bother to find out whether or not the atheists here have a genetic tendency towards depression before you make your conclusion that they are depressed due to their atheism.

Don't ever tell me I have a problem with comprehension of what I read, you have taken every thing I said and turned it around so you can complain, that's childish, grow up. I stated that I have no idea how many atheist here have a genetic reason for their depression and I mentioned mine (which I didn't have to unless I wanted to be dishonest) not to eliminate my condition but to show depression can be a problem for anyone. I gave a reference for people to read and the response has been negative even to that. So go on living with your depression everyone of you, I do not really care at this time. It does a Christian no good to try and help here, ridicule is the only response that comes from it, except for the quit smoking threads.

GC

[Godscreated]

@ the OP:  True, the depression costs extra.  But I find the more inconsequentially comfortable my atheism becomes, the less prone to depression I am.  Go figure.

I would like to say something here and this is only for you, I will not respond to anyone else if they respond to this post.
How do you know that what you refer to depression as a Christian was not guilt of sin and now that you do not believe you sin, that guilt is waning and thus the depression you believed you had. this is a suggestion to your statement, "go figure". Like I said you are the only one I will respond to, so everyone else you'll be wasting your time.

GC

[Godscreated]

@GC
I'm not condemning you. But your actions here are not limited to MTL. You're taking things that other members have shared about their personal life and emotions and throwing it in their faces in a way that's not even relevant. To me that is just a low blow.  It takes courage to share such things, and at AF we try to create an environment where people feel safe doing that. You do the whole community a disservice when you drag up stuff from people's personal life to use against them.  

Do you have credentials to diagnose if someone is depressed. If you think five years on a message board qualifies you to make such a sweeping diagnosis then the answer is no.

Sure you are, just as in this post and I resent this, people here have made their depression public on a public forum and they know it can come up at anytime, it's been done to me at times and you do not hear me crying about it, and I stated as a matter of fact that I wouldn't name one solitary person. I stated in my first post that what I was saying was from observation and not fact or research and as usual everyone want's to make something different out of what I clearly stated as opinion. Everyone can blow it out their ears, atheist treat Christians as the scourge of the earth and that's okay as long as you can live with it.

GC

[Godscreated]

Just like Christianity isn't the cause of mine. All I have tried to relate here is that, as I see it, Christianity gives purpose where being an atheist is nothing more than none belief and I can't see how that in itself can contribute to purpose.

GC

Your inability to see purpose outside of Christianity is your own inability and has no bearing on what others find in their own lives.

To find purpose in god, you have to close your eyes to a lot of things found in the Bible. We see you come in here with your eyes wide shut talking about you can't see anything beyond your eyelids.

I see more than you'll ever know, you act as if I'm an outsider on a public forum. I didn't say atheist didn't have purposes in their lives, you're just turning what I say around to keep an argument going, that's childish to say the least. You need to prove to me your statement as to how I have to close my eyes to parts of the Bible, start with an example, one at a time and I'll give you an answer as long as you can be honest with yourself when I do instead of just dismissing everything I say like you always do because you just can't see that you just might be wrong.

GC

[Godscreated]

I'll admit: I'm an atheist who suffers from chronic depression, and my downs get very, very loooooow...

I used to be a Christian who suffered from chronic depression and my downs got very, very loooooow...

The only difference is that now when I contemplate suicide I feel guilty because of the people I would potentially leave behind; not because it's a sin.

Seems to me you didn't have much of a Christian attitude when you say you wee a Christian if you didn't consider the feelings of others, one of the most important things in Christianity and you didn't even have it, sure you were a Christian since you seemed to miss one of the most important parts of being a Christian.

GC

[Godscreated]

Everyone listen closely I'm not responding to any more post on this thread except to Rhonda and Whateverist, to whom I put questions to and they deserve a response.

GC

[rexbeccarox]

I'll admit: I'm an atheist who suffers from chronic depression, and my downs get very, very loooooow...

I used to be a Christian who suffered from chronic depression and my downs got very, very loooooow...

The only difference is that now when I contemplate suicide I feel guilty because of the people I would potentially leave behind; not because it's a sin.

Seems to me you didn't have much of a Christian attitude when you say you wee a Christian if you didn't consider the feelings of others, one of the most important things in Christianity and you didn't even have it, sure you were a Christian since you seemed to miss one of the most important parts of being a Christian.

GC

OH, so No True Christian, eh?

Really, GC? You're considering the feelings of others when you threaten them with hell? Or when you lump all atheists into bullshit strawmen you've built with careless hands? Or when you judge me for not worrying about the feelings of others?

I didn't say I didn't care about the others when I was suicidal as a Christian; I said that I don't care about it being a "sin" anymore. Fuck you and the crow you flew in on.

[rexbeccarox]

Everyone listen closely I'm not responding to any more post on this thread except to Rhonda and Whateverist, to whom I put questions to and they deserve a response.

GC

Aw! Poor persecuted GC! Whatever will we do without your short sight in this thread?

[Nope]

@GC
I'm not condemning you. But your actions here are not limited to MTL. You're taking things that other members have shared about their personal life and emotions and throwing it in their faces in a way that's not even relevant. To me that is just a low blow.  It takes courage to share such things, and at AF we try to create an environment where people feel safe doing that. You do the whole community a disservice when you drag up stuff from people's personal life to use against them.  

Do you have credentials to diagnose if someone is depressed. If you think five years on a message board qualifies you to make such a sweeping diagnosis then the answer is no.

Sure you are, just as in this post and I resent this, people here have made their depression public on a public forum and they know it can come up at anytime, it's been done to me at times and you do not hear me crying about it, and I stated as a matter of fact that I wouldn't name one solitary person. I stated in my first post that what I was saying was from observation and not fact or research and as usual everyone want's to make something different out of what I clearly stated as opinion. Everyone can blow it out their ears, atheist treat Christians as the scourge of the earth and that's okay as long as you can live with it.

GC

I don't think that most atheists treat Christians like the scourge of the earth. Believe it or not, I don't dislike most of the people on this forum including you. We'd probably get along just fine if we met.

For some people, religion might provide short term help for depression. When you attend church, you have a built in friend base even if those people are only your friends in the most superficial manner. You can ask for prayers and feel like someone is rooting for you. Two of my children suffer from depression. My daughter went through a difficult year where she just stopped caring about her life. Her way of dealing with depression was anger and sarcasm. My son talked about his problems. My daughter does not always share her emotions as easily as her brother so we just thought she was becoming an unpleasant person to be around and grew frustrated with her. Luckily, we are getting her help and she is improving. If she had attended church, she might have been able to sweep her problems under the rug. I suppose in church she would have been encouraged to put on a happy face but, at what cost would that be to her? Yes, she might have been less unpleasant but how long before she reached a point that she could admit she was sick or we would have realized something was off? In the short term, attending a church might have helped her but in the long term, I think it would have done more damage.